As part of the Sapir Forum for Cultural Studies and Discourse, the Sapir College held a special study day dedicated to Tsippi Fleischer’s music. We are proud to present, in this retrospective collection, four programs which represent a selection from this wide-ranging study day:

1. A lecture by Prof. Sasson Somekh
2. “From Tokyo to Alaska” – an illustrated lecture by Tsippi Fleischer
3. Discussion
4. Concert-workshop

• Program A: A lecture by Prof. Sasson Somekh
• To download the complete PART D, click here
• PlayDownload1 A lecture by Prof. Sasson Somekh 15:22 min.

  Sasson Somekh recounts his early contacts with Fleischer as his student, and discusses her profound and genuine interest in both ancient and modern Arabic literature.

• Program B: From Tokyo to Alaska –
  an illustrated lecture by Tsippi Fleischer
• PlayDownload2 On the connection with the Arabic language 03:14 min.

  Fleischer recounts her early, lifelong affinity with the Arabic language.

• PlayDownload3 Declaration 00:16 min.

  The composer proclaims the music tour “From Tokyo to Alaska”, following the trail of her music’s performances worldwide.

• PlayDownload4 The Clock Wants to Sleep 03:37 min.

  A comparison between performances of the choral piece The Clock Wants to Sleep (to words by Miriam Yalan- Shteklis) in Israel and in Tokyo.

• PlayDownload5
  the original
  manuscript of
  "Sabbath Song"
  click to enlarge
  the collection
  released in Germany
  click to enlarge Sabbath Song 02:45 min.

  The story of the early, modal, Lied-style song for Sabbath (1971) which was suddenly published in Germany in 2009, as part of a voice-and-piano Christmas collection.
• PlayDownload6 The Fifth Symphony
  plan (sketch) of the work
  click to enlarge 09:16 min.

  The composer’s listening guide, including excerpts from the work. The composer also presented a video of her workshop with the shofar players, and scanned sketch of her plan for the entire work.
• PlayDownload7 Like Two Branches 06:09 min.
  an autograph
  page click
  to enlarge
  a draft page
  click to enlarge
  a motif page
  click to enlarge

  A short survey of the compositional process, illustrated scans of a motif page, a page from the draft and a page from the autograph score. Those seeking a more detailed testimony can listen to the composer’s in-depth monologue in file no. 8 in this Retrospective Collection's Events section.
• PlayDownload8 Ballad of Expected Death in Cairo 09:26 min.
  score segment
  click to enlarge
  the singer's letter
  click to enlarge

  Tsippi Fleischer quotes from the poetic text, and recounts the story of her encounters with the work’s inspiration and dedicatee, Hassan Kamy, including a segment of the score and a video of their rehearsals on that section. She also shares a letter she received from him. This segment of the lecture concludes with the beginning of Kamy’s recording of the work.
• PlayDownload9 Ancient Love 05:08 min.

  Tsippi Fleischer shares with the audience the great privilege she experienced working with the Tölzer Knabenchor and their conductor Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden, and shows video excerpts from the rehearsals.

• PlayDownload10 Continuous conversation with the audience 04:18 min.

  Terri Somekh (Sasson’s wife) leads Tsippi Fleischer to tell the audience about the processes of documenting, filming and gaining permits – both in Egypt and in Germany – while continuing her creative activity.

• Program C: Discussion
• PlayDownload11 Discussion 09:45 min.
  The Gown of
  Night - score
  click to enlarge

  A conversation with the audience, moderated by Moshe Zuckerman. The questions revolved around postmodernism and the types of music connected with it, as well as the relationships between composer, performer and audience. Eitan Ornoy and Zecharia Plavin were particularly active participants in the discussion. The composer expressed her firm belief that there is no such thing as “low-brow culture”.
  Copies of the score of The Gown of Night were distributed to the audience.

• Program D: Concert-workshop
• The concert included six works, distributed in a way that allowed for audience questions between pieces. Emphasis was placed on renewed live performances of the composer’s works, as well as the then-brand-new video presenting performances of The Animals’ Wish in May 2012. The program notes included the texts of the various works.
• PlayDownload12 Opening and acknowledgments 01:24 min.

  Speakers: Dr. Eitan Ginzburg (the Sapir Forum’s director) and Dr. Tsippi Fleischer.

• PlayDownload13 Resuscitation 07:10 min.

  After a brief introduction by the composer, the young cellist Yotam Haran (then an IDF Outstanding Musician) plays Resuscitation – Five Miniatures for Cello Solo.

• PlayDownload14 Girl Butterfly Girl 12:36 min.

  Yael Levita (soprano) and Evgeny Oslon (piano) perform the entire four-song cycle: songs 1-2 in Hebrew, songs 3-4 in Arabic. Before and after their performance, the composer tells the listeners about Yeal Levita’s intense involvement at the time with performing the cycle, in both languages, and about the special skills displayed by the pianist (also the chief Editor at the Israel Music Institute, the work’s publishers), who was able to read scores for chamber ensemble (in Hebrew) and symphony orchestra (in Arabic) and perform them directly on the piano.

• PlayDownload15 The aria of Cain’s Lamb, from the opera Cain and Abel 05:47 min.

  The composer introduces this aria with a synopsis of the entire opera. After this, Yael Levita sings the aria by Cain’s Lamb from the second scene, with Evgeny Oslon (playing the piano from the opera’s vocal score), to enthusiastic applause.

• PlayDownload16 The Animals’ Wish 02:07 min.

  Tsippi Fleischer discusses the structures and ideals behind this work, which is an educational project in and of itself; and she relates the story of the premiere performances in two educational institutions: Kay College in Beer Sheba (to kindergarten-teachers in training, both Jewish and Bedouin) and at the Wilhelms Universität in Münster, Germany (to students in the Music Education Department – and 6-year-old schoolchildren). This file only contains Tsippi’s explanations. The video that the audience watched can be viewed here; the album which contains a complete audio recording of the work can be heard and downloaded here.