Romaeuropa Festival, Rome, Italy, October 2011

a Recorders Consort :Contrabass in Fa, Bass in Do, Bass in Fa, Tenor, Soprano & 2 Sopranino; Accordion Consort (7 elements); Piano; Bowed piano; Improvising soloist; 2 Keis Cantors (live or tape) & Video

Sample score - Download

Leilit in Geèz language means "night". This composition is, on the one hand, a multi media nocturne, a night piece, a journey from sunset to sunrise; on the other hand it is a journey to the Beta Israel culture, the protagonists of this work. Leilit is also a research of a delicate synthesis between ancient oral traditions, contemporary music and multi media, which manifests the art of composition in its epistemological meaning.

In the piece there are four vectorial semantic themes that are nested one into the other, all regarding different symbolic meanings of the night:

1 - The night as a journey from the concrete reality toward a higher mystical perception, symbolized by the Keis.

2 - The night as a journey into the oblivion of memory, symbolized by interviews regarding the life in Ethiopia.

3 - The night as a journey in the darkness, symbolized by interviews regarding the journey from Ethiopia to Sudan.

4 - The night as container of dream, fantasy, and a deep connection with hidden part of one's consciousness, symbolized by lullabies & story-telling.

While the semantic themes appear through the visual part of the work, the musical part creates a more abstract expression of these concepts. In the music there is a research of poetic environments, created by the ensemble, in relation to the soloists, which represent an individual. In the score the soloists perform almost independently from the ensemble, which is composed of 7 recorders and 7 accordions, orchestrated as opposing antiphonal wind consorts, which face each other in a tight counterpoint.

Another important component of the piece is the piano part, which functions as an obbligato soloist, as a percussive instrument, and as a source of a large variety of timbers. In fact, in a certain part of the score, 8 of the musicians are playing inside the piano, using bow piano technique that allows continuous sounds production.

World Premiere: Romaeuropa festival, 26/10/2011, TEATRO PALLADIUM, Rome, Italy|

Composition, research, direction: Yuval Avital
Conductor: Sandro Gorli
Cantors: Keis Eli Wande Montesanut e Keis Baruch Mesert

Soloist: Yuval Avital (classic & electric guitars & live electronics)
Piano: Maria Grazia Bellocchio
Recorders: The Running seven recorders ensemble - Daniele Bragetti, Stefano Bragetti, Josè Manuel Fernandez, Mario Lacchini, Lorenzo Lio, Marco Rosa Salva, Seiko Tanaka
Accordions: Sergio Scappini, Michele Bracciali, Daniele Rossi, Nadio Marenco, Giancarlo Calabria, Augusto Comminesi, Paolo Vignani
Video & tape operator: Riccardo Sinigaglia
General coordination: Toti Melzi d'Eril

Israel Video shooting

Cameraman: Yoav Ruda, Nicola Sambonet, Barbara Nassisi
Research assistance: Moshe Bar yuda
Keis cantors: Keis Eli Wande Montesanut e Keis Baruch Mesert

Kiryat gat participants

Cameraman: Yoav Ruda, Nicola Sambonet, Barbara Nassisi
Research assistance: Moshe Bar yuda
Keis cantors: Keis Eli Wande Montesanut e Keis Baruch Mesert

lizenta vocal ensemble

Almaz Yitzhak, Almzhi Abebe Tagn, Hagit Yalou, Banciamlak Almo, Orit Raday, Zerthon Achin, Askadar Baya, Fanty Avi, Yardanos Blay

Children

Israela Baya, Yosf Berihon, Linoy Yitzhak