Tell Me — from Ami and Tami, a musical fable by Matti Kovler and Aya Lavie (English: Spencer Garfield)

Tell Me (Excerpt from Ami and Tami, orchestral version)

Singing Lice Cabaret Song from Ami and Tami, Matti Kovler's musical fable

Singing Lice Cabaret Song (Live)

The Singing Lice Cabaret, from Ami & Tami, a musical fable for children. Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Vickers.

The Singing Lice Cabaret

Yaga's Waltz from Ami & Tami, a musical fable for children. Featuring Sophie Delphis as Yaga. Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Vickers.

Yaga's Waltz

Come Into The Dark Wood (from Ami & Tami, a musical fable) Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Vickers.

Come Into The Dark Wood

Night Song from Ami & Tami, a musical fable for children. Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Vickers.

Night Song

Overture from Ami & Tami, a musical fable. Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Vickers.

Overture

Quartet for Alto Saxophone and a Piano Trio
Commissioned by Vandoren USA, First performance.
Julian Velasco, saxophone
Scott Jackson, violin
Yijia Fang, cello
Matthew Umphreys, piano

Deliver To The Winds

Wa-Edah Mah for flute, oboe and double bass
Commissioned by Diana Gannett, Michigan University
The motivic material for this work is inspired by a manuscript containing medieval musical notation discovered in Cairo in early 20th century- the manuscript started with the Hebrew words “Wa-Edah Ma.” The unlikely combination of oriental Hebrew and Italian Christian musical notation found in these fragment puzzled many scholars, until the mystery has been solved – two additional manuscripts were revealed, signed by Obadiah the Proselyte. Originally a catholic
priest, Obadiah converted to Judaism in the 11th century and traveled to Egypt, Syria and Palestine where he notated the music he had heard using nematic notation, thus notating the earliest notated Jewish music in existence. The trio for Flute, Oboe and Double Bass re-imagines the music from the times of the First Crusade, taking its inspiration from medieval Catholic chant, as well as from early Middle-Eastern Jewish music.

Diana Gannett (bass), Jill Felber (flute), Rebecca Henderson (oboe)

Wa-Eda Mah (Movement I)

The Unsung Serenade for chamber orchestra has been inspired by Shakespeare’s sonnet 73. The melodic motto of this work appears in two earlier musical settings of the sonnet, for voice and piano (in Hebrew, and in the original English).

The irony of Shakespeare’s sonnet 73, is that the flame, which nourishes the passion, is also the one that ultimately consumes it. It is the unfulfilled potential, which makes “love more strong.” Further, it is the perception of the elements that are fading — yellow leaves, ruined choirs, the sunset and a dying flame, which has the power to bring about a greater love.

The piece, therefore, begins with restraint, and slowly accumulates tension, with elements of the “serenade” melody released gradually. However, even in the ultimate “lyric” portion of the piece full “satisfaction” is never achieved.

Mátti Kovler

William Shakespeare / Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Unsung Serenade

Unsung Serenade (excerpt)

New Yiddish Songbook

New arrangements to Yiddish art songs from the repertoire of the Yiddish American singer Sidor Belarsky.

Anthony Russell - voice, Mátti Kovler - piano, Ehud Ettun - bass

New Yiddish Song Book

Shoyn Avek

Composer Mátti Kovler teams up with the extraordinary Israeli chanteuse Reut Rivka to present the second part of his BitterSweet Cabaret — an art song cycle in Hebrew. The songs of Part 1 (Song of Innocence) with lyrics by Israeli children, deal with the vulnerability and joy of coming of age. Part 2, Songs of Experience, to lyrics by contemporary Israeli poets, was written during Kovler's service in the Israeli military in 1999-2002 and reflects a sense of nostalgia, a Hebrew "saudade" for a distant childhood, tenderly conveyed through Reut Rivka's artful interpretation. Featuring Mátti Kovler (piano), Amir Milstein (flute) and Ehud Ettun (bass).

Cheek On Cheek

Russian-Israeli composer of opera and music theatre. Artistic director at floatingtower.com. Brooklyn, NY

Mátti Kovler

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