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Yael Bat-Shimon and Ariel BurgerYael Bat-Shimon and Ariel Burger - Improvisations (August 24, 2008)

ARTSomerville presents violinist Yael Bat-Shimon in a performance of her unique brand of soulful, inventive, sometimes playful improvisations (or "live compositions").  She is joined in several duo improvisations by guest guitarist Ariel Burger, who brings his own imagination and deep sensitivity to the mix.

Yael Bat-Shimon studied violin solo performance in Paris with Mme Miriam Solovieff. She received her BA from Harvard in Literature, specializing in French Feminisms. Yael pursued graduate study in violin performance and contemporary improvisation at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore and at the New England Conservatory in Boston. She also holds an MA in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College. Most recently, she has been creating and performing music for choreographers of modern dance as well as exploring improvisation both with musicians from non-Western traditions and with performers from different artistic media. This has led to her founding of the interdisciplinary improvisational performance group "Inter Alia."

Ariel Burger is a teacher, artist and musician.  He received his PhD in Theology, Jewish Thought and Social Ethics from Boston University, where he was a student and teaching assistant of Elie Wiesel.  He was taught music by his father, a guitarist and choral composer, and has performed at Carnegie Hall.  Ariel has a special affinity for improvisation, and is especially interested in what happens when different melodies and disparate rhythms intersect.  His playing can be heard on several recordings.

Program Notes:

Black Prison Song Meets Jewish Soul
Using pieces of "When I Went to Leland," a "work song" passed down throughout the early 20th century in Black Southern prisons, prisons which were virtual replications of the old slave plantations.

Exploration of a Drone
Drone:  a long sustained note.

Walking the Narrow Bridge
Based on a Hebrew song whose words are attributed to 18th century Rabbi Nachman of Breslov:  "The whole world is a very narrow bridge.  The main thing is not to be afraid."

Lost and Found in China
Improvisation on (and ending with) a traditional Chinese song for erhu called "Shepherdess on Tien Shan."  Tien Shan is a mountain range which runs through China's mostly Moslem Uyghur Autonomous Region as welll as neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

I'm So Glad You Pressed Send
For my sweetie.

Kandinsky Remembered
Inspired by one of my favorite Expressionist painters, Wassily Kandinsky.

This album is a recording of a live performance of Yael Bat-Shimon and Ariel Burger on August 24, 2008. It was produced by Randy Winchester for ARTSomerville. CD quality FLAC files of this recording are available from http://www.archive.org/details/YaelBat-shimonAndArielBurger-Improvisations.  Cover art by Yael Bat-Shimon.


ARTSomerville (ARTS) is a volunteer arts organization based in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA, which draws upon the talents of local creativity, strengthening communication among artists and the public by presenting exhibits, performances, and educational activities. Albums appearing under the ARTSomerville logo are from artists that have given performances at ARTSomerville sponsored events. Visit www.artsomerville.org to learn more.

Creative Commons license: Attribution 3.0

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