Hemsi: Chamber Works ARC Ensemble

• Alberto Hemsi (1898 - 1975): Greek Nuptial Dances, Op. 37bis:
• 1 Hemsi: Greek Nuptial Dances, Op. 37bis: I. In Honour of the Mother-in-law 03:26
• 2 Hemsi: Greek Nuptial Dances, Op. 37bis: II. In Honour of the Bride 03:28
• 3 Hemsi: Greek Nuptial Dances, Op. 37bis: III. In Honour of the Godfather 03:24
• Three Ancient Airs, from the Coplas Sefardies, Op. 30:
• 4 Hemsi: Three Ancient Airs, from the Coplas Sefardies, Op. 30: I. Ballata 02:30
• 5 Hemsi: Three Ancient Airs, from the Coplas Sefardies, Op. 30: II. Canzone 03:32
• 6 Hemsi: Three Ancient Airs, from the Coplas Sefardies, Op. 30: III. Rondò 03:03
• Pilpúl Sonata, Op. 27:
• 7 Hemsi: Pilpúl Sonata, Op. 27: I. Allegretto comodo 08:30
• 8 Hemsi: Pilpúl Sonata, Op. 27: II. Larghetto meditativo 05:04
• 9 Hemsi: Pilpúl Sonata, Op. 27: III. Larghetto meditativo 06:10
• Quintet, Op. 28:
• 10 Hemsi: Quintet, Op. 28: I. Concertino 04:58
• 11 Hemsi: Quintet, Op. 28: II. Burlesca 05:37
• 12 Hemsi: Quintet, Op. 28: III. Berceuse 04:37
• 13 Hemsi: Quintet, Op. 28: IV. Rondò 02:38
• Méditation, Op. 16:
• 14 Hemsi: Méditation, Op. 16 06:42
• Total Runtime 01:03:39

Info for Hemsi: Chamber Works

Alberto Hemsi was born in 1898 in Turgutlu (also known as Cassaba), in Anatolia (present-day Turkey). Although there had been a Jewish presence in Anatolia for more than 2000 years, the population expanded considerably following the Alhambra Decree of 1492, with the arrival of Sephardim from Spain and Portugal. It then dwindled precipitously with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Nazism, the creation of the state of Israel, and the escalation of anti-Semitism in the Arab world. Having completed his training at the conservatory in Milan, Hemsi returned to Anatolia determined to collect and notate as much traditional Sephardic music as he possibly could. A fascination with national folk music had taken root throughout Europe – Bartók and Kodály in Hungary, Dvorák and Smetana in Bohemia, and Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst in England being the most familiar examples. Because his research was not defined by political or geographical boundaries, Hemsi was compelled to survey the myriad communities spread throughout the vast Sephardic diaspora. He was as fascinated by this musical heritage as he was concerned about its survival but, like so many composers, he also understood how traditional melodies, together with the various performance styles and conventions that supported them, could provide inspiration and nourishment for his own music.

ARC Ensemble

ARC Ensemble
Nominated for its third Grammy Award in 2016, the ARC Ensemble is among Canada's most distinguished cultural ambassadors. Although the ensemble performs a wide range of music, its preoccupation continues to be the research and recovery of music that was suppressed and marginalized under the 20th century's repressive regimes. A growing number of hitherto unknown masterworks are rejoining the repertoire as a result of the ARC Ensemble's work.

The ARC Ensemble has appeared at major festivals and series, including the Budapest Spring Festival, the Enescu Festival (Bucharest), New York's Lincoln Center Festival, Canada's Stratford Festival, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Wigmore and Cadogan Halls and Washington's Kennedy Center. The ARC Ensemble's “Music in Exile” series has been presented in Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Toronto, New York and London, and its performances and recordings (on Sony's RCA Red Seal label and Chandos) continue to earn unanimous critical acclaim and regularly broadcasts on stations around the world.

Comprised of the senior faculty of the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, with special guests drawn from the organization's most accomplished students and alumni, the ARC Ensemble's core group consists of piano, string quartet and clarinet with additional forces as repertoire demands. The ARC Ensemble collaborates with a range of artists, they include the pianist Leon Fleisher, the novelist Yann Martel, actors Saul Rubinek and R.H. Thompson, and composers R. Murray Schafer, Omar Daniel and Vincent Ho.

EXIT: MUSIC, a documentary describing the ensemble's work premiered in November 2016 and has been screened at a number of international festivals. It is distributed internationally by First Run Features in the US and Euroarts, Berlin in other territories. The ARC Ensemble's most recent release, its sixth, is devoted to the music of the Auschwitz survivor and onetime conductor of the camp's orchestra, Szymon Laks. The recording was nominated for a 2018 Juno Award. Highlights of ARC's 2019 season includes concerts at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Parco della Musica, Rome, and UCLA's Schoenberg Hall.

James Conlon, Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera and a pioneer in the recovery of lost twentieth century repertoire, is the ARC Ensemble's Honorary Chairman, its Artistic Director is Simon Wynberg.

Booklet for Hemsi: Chamber Works