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This project is devoted to the subject of childhood. It is not a children's performance in the usual sense, even though most of it speaks to them. Rather, it contains a collection of children's songs that were the soundtrack for two generations of Israelis who came of age in the 1950s, as well as contemporary songs commissioned from young Israeli composers for this project. This album contains a multifaceted commentary on the subject of childhood ranging from the simple to the sophisticated. Arrangements of well-known classics always present a special challenge: how to create fresh versions of songs, how to turn a forgotten tune into a new piece? Since the question of “what exactly is children's music” does not have a single answer, we hope this album will be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
For us, the musicians, the process of creating the album was both fascinating and fun, as we collected materials, chose the songs, arranged them and perfected our performances. We were especially excited to discover some lost gems, such as the wonderful children’s song cycle "Orit’s Stories," composed by Mark Lavri to the words of Michael Deshe.
Besides the songs, the program includes segments of chamber music from the classical repertory. We chose to end the album with an original rendition of the piece “Apartment to let,” by Yehezkel Braun, based on the story by Leah Goldberg read by Benny Hendel. His voice is familiar to the audience from radio broadcasts and from the dubbing he contributed to the successful television series "Once Upon a Time."
On a personal note, I hope that even in the era of the “rating” culture, when music is more accessible than ever, the Childhood Scenes album will draw interest because of its fresh take on the genre of children's music.
Ofer Shelley
This program has been recorded and published on an album buy the album
A trio version by Ofer Shelley
