Omer Meir Wellber makes his Chandos debut with a recording of works by Paul Ben-Haim

Chandos releases the debut recording of Omer Meir Wellber and the BBC Philharmonic with works by Paul Ben-Haim. Soloists are soprano Claudia Barainsky and clarinetist John Bradbury.

MUSIC OF ISRAEL, Paul Ben-Haim
Symphony No. 1
Pastoral variée, for Solo Clarinet with String Orchestra and Harp
John Bradbury – Clarinet
Pan     premiere recording
Claudia Barainsky - Soprano

BBC Philharmonic
Omer Meir Wellber

Paul Frankenburger was a successful conductor and composer in Bavaria, until he lost his position at the Augsburg Opera owing to a financial crisis at the opera house. In 1933, he left Germany and immigrated to Mandatory Palestine. Immediately upon arriving in the new country, he changed his name to Paul Ben-Haim, and within a few years he had established himself as a cultural icon, a highly esteemed and influential composer, and the founder of a new musical tradition. Some consider Ben-Haim the national composer of the young state established in 1948, fifteen years after his immigration.

Omer Meir Wellber says: „It is very important for me to record this repertoire because Paul Ben-Haim is the first Israeli composer who realized that only through cultural and creative dialogue you can really achieve peace in a non-violent way. Through traditional inspiration and an innovative approach, he created a special musical language that I can identify with very strongly. Ben-Haim’s music is an audible realization of how the Middle East could be.”

The compositions on this album are closely linked to those dramatic years, during which Ben-Haim changed homelands, swapped identities and, to a large degree, even replaced, or forged, his own unique personal style. Omer Meir Wellber, Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, makes his Chandos debut with this first album in a series devoted to exploring the music of Israel.

Please let us know if you need further information or if you are interested in a CD or a digital download.

PR² classic • Rolandstraße 81 • 50677 Köln

Tel: 49 221 38 10 63 • Fax: 49 221 379 1703

office@pr2classic.de • www.pr2classic.de