Whatever your musical inclinations, you can never accuse the Revolutionary Orchestra of standing still for too long. Over the past 20 years, the band has been churning out shows of every cultural and stylistic ilk at a rapid rate. Just last month, the troupe wowed audiences at the Israel Opera House in Tel Aviv with a thrilling excursion into the worlds of Monty Python's signature comedy – both visual and sonic.
Then, there's a completely different project, offering an extended, exemplary look at the work of George Gershwin.
One of the seminal figures in 20th-century music, Gershwin was present at the beginning of what became the Great American Songbook, with numbers like “Strike Up The Band” and the iconic “Summertime” in the list of timeless works that have been performed and recorded by hundreds of major artists in music. Jazz, Broadway theater and many other areas of musical endeavour.
In fact, Gershwin – Revolution version has been in suspended animation for a while. “We performed the show in July, at the end of the previous season,” explains Zohar Sharon, the orchestra’s co-founder, composer, arranger and pianist.
Like many other artistic and cultural activities, it was suspended in the wake of October 7. The dust covers were finally removed from the production earlier this week when Sharon, conductor and band co-founder Roy Oppenheim and the players joined a trinity of musical leaders, spreading their talents and skills across wide swaths of creative fields. The next show is scheduled to take place at Haifa Hall on March 25 at 8:30 pm
The show is described as “a celebration of three Gershwin works” with the three soloists including guitarist and singer Jonathan Albalac, cellist and vocalist Maya Pilsitzman, and pianist and singer Jay Mientos. The three have been on the scene for a while, earning a reputation for delivering entertainment merchandise along with great music.
This fits Sharon and others, and it fits the Gershwin bill as well. “We call this ‘Gershwin in Three Acts’ because we asked each artist to choose a Gershwin work and create a fantasy around it.” This seems like a carte blanche approach to the show.
Given the tried-and-tested track records of Albalak, Belsitzman, and Mintus, Sharon was on safe ground in allowing the protagonist trio to carve their own paths to convey their individual readings of the composer's material.
“Jonathan [Albalak] Choose a suite from [Gershwin opera] “Porgy and Bess, they're called 'Catfish Row,'” Sharon said. “He took some songs from that, and he also took stuff from a great record [legendary jazz trumpeter] Miles Davis and [iconic arranger] Gil Evans.” Davis-Evans' release of the same name was released in 1959.
Black went with the Gershwin and Davisesque sensibilities and ran with them. Despite the lavish musical score, the guitarist was determined to leave his unique mark on the proceedings. “There are a lot of topics, a lot of traffic there,” he notes, saying, “I wanted to make it my own.”
This included his appreciation for singing. “I sing some songs, like 'I Loves You Porgy' and 'A Woman Is A Sometime Thing'. And I do some instrumental versions, like 'Bess You Is My Woman Now'. I took some stuff from a Miles Davis and Gil Evans record. There's “‘Gone and Praying (Dr. Jesus).’ They are very powerful pieces.”
Essentially, the soloists were spoiled for choice. When you set out to reimagine an older work, it can be helpful to have raw material that is so high-quality and robust that it can be twisted this way and that, and still not only be familiar, but also fresh and relevant to contemporary musical conventions. – Without forgetting the original result.
Albalak says it wasn't just a matter of extracting, mixing and matching: “I researched everything and anything about the pavilion; “I broke it down and rebuilt it.”
Organizing the pre-show was no easy task
There were some trying logistics in the lead up to the show. “A lot of material came out of that,” Balak advises. “There are about 10 to 15 topics in the group and I had to narrow it down to seven or eight. That's a lot to accomplish in 20 minutes.
It may be a pressure, but each of the soloists will bring their musical and creative baggage to the concert, both in their solo slots and when they finally join forces. Sharon says it will be much more than the sum of the separate, talented parts.
“Yonatan and Maya add sound effects,” says the orchestra conductor. “Maya will play like an electric guitarist, with delays and things like that. Then she'll play and sing 'I've got the beat.' It's very impressive. She's playing the cello like it's kind of moving bass lines, like a jazz player.”
Both Belsitzman and Albalak have spread their talents across many artistic and stylistic fields, taking into account rock, pop, and jazz, as well as classically-leaning fields. Then there's Mintos, which has earned a reputation for 1,000-watt performances that seamlessly blend symphonic, operatic, jazz, rock, pop and other sounds and sensations. “The man is the flamboyant man,” laughs Albalek. “He brings a lot of energy to his shows – he's very energetic.”
Sharon also digs Mintos' effervescent offensive line. “We're about 45 minutes into the show and then Guy comes in with his fireworks. Then the piano takes center stage. This also puts Sharon in an unfamiliar predicament and sends him into indirect vocal directions. “If Guy is in the middle at the piano, what does Zohar Sharon do? ” He laughs. “I thought Jay could put together a percussion role for me, on cymbals or something. “I didn't feel like leaving the stage.”
In the end, Sharon did not have to worry about being redundant to the orchestra's demands. “He gave me a difficult role for someone who's not used to playing percussion. I had a great time with that.”
Haifa audiences and ticket buyers for future performances of the Gershwin show — Sharon says there are more to come — are sure to enjoy, too, as the Revolution Gang as well as illustrious guests recreate the sumptuous, melodic works of one of America's greatest composers.
For tickets and more information: www.rev-orch.com
