Alicia Svigals, Klezmer fiddler, and Uli Geissendoerfer, piano with special guest William Schimmel, accordion present the “Beregovski Suite: Reimagining a Long-Lost Klezmer Archive”. The concert takes place December 1, 2019 at 3:30 PM (West Building, West Garden Court) National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
This concert is part of a series of performances by female violinists, showcasing the brilliance and stylistic versatility of the instrument. 20 years ago, violinist Alicia Svigals, the world’s foremost klezmer fiddler and a founder of the Grammy-winning Klezmatics, released her groundbreaking album Fidl, the first contemporary recording of the deep and ecstatic klezmer fiddle music that had been beloved across Jewish Eastern Europe for hundreds of years.
In 2018, she paired up with Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Uli Geissendoerfer on Beregovski Suite, a project that brings to life long-lost melodies from the early 20th-century fieldwork of Moshe Beregovski and reimagines them for the 21st century. They are joined by William Schimmel, the well known and respected. classical and new music accordionist.
Concerts at the National Gallery are open to the public, free of charge. Audience is admitted on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes before the concert begins. For further information, call (202) 842-6941.
Concerts at the National Gallery of Art began during World War II, when the first director, David E. Finley, kept the Gallery open on Sunday nights to accommodate the armed forces personnel who were in Washington at the time. The first concert took place in the East Garden Court on May 31, 1942. Finley’s idea for adding music to the museum’s service to the public was inspired by renowned pianist Myra Hess’s recitals for troops and the public at London’s National Gallery during the Blitz, 1940–1941.
The National Gallery of Art concert series has provided a rich and distinguished service to music not only in Washington but also on the national and international levels. Many musicians who appeared at the Gallery early in their careers have gone on to worldwide fame, including pianists Claudio Arrau, Eugene Istomin, Earl Wild, Philippe Entremont, Jean Casadesus, and Menachem Pressler; singers Axel Schiotz and Martina Arroyo; and the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets. The concerts were broadcast live from 1950 to 1992 and continue to be broadcast frequently on National Public Radio.
For further information: accordionbill@gmail.com
