Grammy® and Juno Nominated Clarinet Soloist, Band leader, and Composer David Krakauer, Widely Considered one of the Greatest Clarinetists on the Planet, is Featured
The Santa Barbara Symphony draws inspiration from many musical genres. Klezmer, traditional Jewish and Eastern European music, played by world-renowned clarinetist, David Krakauer, will be showcased in the concerts on Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. at the Granada Theatre.
Mahler Meets Klezmer: TItans of Sound takes audiences on a musical journey that starts with Mozart’s Overture to Abduction from the Seraglio, K.384, then David Krakauer’s stunning performance of Wlad Marhulets’ Concerto for Klezmer Clarinet and closes with Mahler’s emotional masterpiece Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan.”
“Mahler’s musical world has always fascinated me; a rich combination of Viennese music, the sounds he heard as a child in Bohemia, his love for nature and poetry, Jewish music and so much more,” said Nir Kabaretti, Music & Artistic Director.
“In his first Symphony, Mahler inserted for the first time in the history of symphonic music a brief moment of Jewish Klezmer music, which inspired me to treat the community to more of this musical style and to program a concerto for klezmer clarinet,” added Kabaretti.
Klezmer music has its origins in Europe among the Ashkenazi Jews. The word is a Yiddish contraction of the Hebrew words for instrument (kley) and song (zemer). This traditional folk music borrows inspiration from music from the synagogue, European folk music, and classical music. Wlad Marhulets’ Concerto for Klezmer Clarinet, combines traditional Klezmer with classical instrumentation to create an emotional and captivating sound.
Repertoire
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Overture to Abduction from the Seraglio, K.384
Wlad Marhulets | Concerto for Klezmer Clarinet
Gustav Mahler | Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan”
The Artists
Nir Kabaretti, Conductor – Internationally acclaimed conductor Nir Kabaretti’s artistic reach continues to expand worldwide, thrilling audiences with his dynamic conducting style and vast knowledge of all facets of musical performing arts. Nir Kabaretti has worked with some of the world’s most sought-after musicians. Some of his most well-known collaborators include Lang Lang, Placido Domingo, Joyce Di Donato, Angel Joy Blue, Vadim Repin, Gilles Apap, Hélène Grimaud, and André Watts.
David Krakauer, Clarinet – Widely considered one of the greatest clarinetists on the planet, Grammy®- and Juno-nominated soloist, band leader, and composer David Krakauer has been praised internationally as a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music. Major appearances as a soloist include the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Orchestre de Lyon, Dresdner Philharmonie; Baltimore, Detroit, and Seattle Symphonies, and the Kronos, Emerson, Tokyo, and Miro String Quartets. Krakauer’s latest project, “Breath and Hammer ” with renowned South African pianist Kathleen Tagg, re-contextualizes Krakauer’s sound by adding electronics and extended techniques to the clarinet and piano acoustic duo.
Tickets for this event and the final performance of The Symphony’s 2023/2024 Season, Rhapsody in Blue @ 100: Jazz Comes to The Symphony on May 18 & 19, 2024, are on sale now and can be purchased in-person, online, or by calling the Granada Theatre box office at (805) 899-2222 or visiting TheSymphony.org.
