Nomad Concerto

I. Song of the balloon man
II. Magician at the bazaar
III. Desert vision: oasis
IV. Le jazz manouche

Nomad Concerto explores the mysterious and soulful music of the wanderer.  Envisioned to showcase the legendary Old World sound of Gil Shaham, the concerto is informed by a diverse range of traveling cultures from Eastern Europe to the Middle East.  In the same way that nomadic musics have continually reimagined themselves, the many styles informing the concerto are swirled together into a unique soundworld.

The concerto’s opening movement imagines an old balloon seller wandering through a village as he sings a doleful tune, which is gradually picked up by the villagers.  The music draws from a variety of elements of the European Roma, with the soloist sometimes using a strumming pizzicato effect suggestive of mandolin.  The movement is followed by the short, scherzo-like ‘magician at the bazaar’ showcasing quicksilver violin figuration that the orchestra transforms into shimmering and gossamer textures.

Over haunting orchestral expanses depicting the vast deserts of the Middle East, the Jewish folk tune “Ani Ma’amin” unfolds in “Desert vision: oasis.”  The movement’s heaviness temporarily brightens at the vision of a sparkling oasis.  A propulsive finale is animated by the ‘minor swing’ of 1930s jazz clubs, as epitomized by the legendary Django Reinhardt of the ‘manouche’ clan.