"The Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie shows itself on this CD as a top ensemble that can compete with renowned string orchestras."
Opus Klassiek, 01-7-2022Music for the “most noble among all instruments”:
The works for string orchestra by Paul Ben-Haim (1897–1984)
All the works on this album are from the period ranging from 1945 to 1956. It was a good decade for Paul Ben-Haim, but it still represents only a fraction of the artistic career of a composer who left over 250 works to posterity.
These years were nevertheless particularly significant for him. The end of the Second World War in 1945 and the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 were part of a period filled with hope, awakening and renewal; at the same time, the shadow of the previous catastrophic events in Europe still lingered, along with painful memories of persecution, expulsion, and exile.
Born in Munich in 1897 as Paul Frankenburger, the Jewish composer already fled the menace of Nazi persecution in 1933 and settled in Palestine, changing his surname to Ben-Haim (“Son of Henry”). His exceptional musical abilities and his rapid adaptability soon permitted him to lead a new existence as composer, conductor, and conservatory professor.
And because he endeavored to find a musical language that would do justice to his artistic need for expression and to the circumstances of his new home, Ben-Haim soon found a personal style that would mark an entire generation of younger musicians in Israel……….. (Excerpts from the booklet notes by Tobias Reinhard)
The Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic was founded by a group of young musicians in Augsburg in 1990. The
orchestra stands out due to the exceptional involvement and artistic energy displayed by each one of its
members, leading it to achieve outstanding performance quality without a conductor. Since 2004, in order
to put its unique concepts and programmes into practice, the Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic has been
organizing the concert series un·er·hört, which has become one of the highlights of Augsburg’s cultural life.
The orchestra has gone on tour throughout Europe, to the US, Brazil, and, most recently, South Korea,
performing in a number of international festivals. Recent appearances took place in the Frauenkirche
in Dresden, in the Philharmonie in Cologne, and in the Vienna Staatsoper.
The ensemble works closely and frequently with renowned early music specialist Reinhard Goebel.
Collaborations with high-ranking classical artists such as Christopher Hogwood, Albrecht Mayer, Leonidas
Kavakos, Nils Mönkemeyer, Maximilian Hornung, and Mstislav Rostropovich, as well as with jazz musicians
such as Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, and, most recently, with saxophonist Marius Neset, all testify to
the orchestra members’ first-class musicianship. Soprano Simone Kermes will present her new programme
Inferno e Paradiso on several occasions with the Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic in September 2020.
The Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic has received several awards, including the European Music Advancement
Prize, the Diapason d’Or from the French classical music magazine Diapason, and the renowned
German ECHO Klassik Prize. The orchestra has made over 20 recordings for outstanding European labels.
The ensemble’s openness to contemporary music is evident in a great number of world premieres
and commissions from composers of our time: Moritz Eggert, Malin Bång, Henning Sieverts, Richard
Dünser, and Annette Focks have written works for the Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic.
Particularly since 2018, the ensemble has shown increasing engagement in bringing music to children and youngsters. Under the “young bkp” banner, the ensemble has started to organize family concerts as well as a series of interdisciplinary workshops for schoolteachers and schoolchildren.
The Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie shows itself on this CD as a top ensemble that can compete with renowned string orchestras.
Opus Klassiek, 01-7-2022
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