Tomer Lev

Since he was first featured at the age of 15 with the Jerusalem
Symphony, Israeli pianist/composer Tomer Lev has performed
regularly with all of Israel’s major orchestras, including the Israel
Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, Israel Chamber Orchestra, the
Israeli Sinfonietta, the Haifa Symphony, and the Jerusalem Sym-
phony-Israel Radio Orchestra. In the last four seasons, Mr. Lev
was heard in three continents in such cities as New York, Philadel-
phia, Boston, Tokyo, Zurich, Tel Aviv, Sofia, Bucharest, Athens,
throughout Germany, and in major international festivals such
as Tanglewood, Norfolk, Sofia Music Weeks, Varna Summer,
and others.

Tomer Lev graduated with honors from the Rubin Music
Academy of Tel Aviv University. He has received international
recognition in the Maria Callas International Piano Competition
(Greece, 1990) and in the Awajishima International Chamber Music
Competition (Japan, 1989), and has twice received the Israeli
Clairmont Award (1987, 1988). He is regarded as being in the
forefront of Israel’s prominent young musicians.

Program Note:
Passacaglia & Fugue — Tomer Lev (b. 1967)

As implied by its title, the Passacaglia & Fugue uses these two
famous, ancient contrapuntal forms. While the idea itself could be
regarded as “Neo Baroque,” the actual synthesis of form and
content in this piece results rather in a “Neo Romantic” spirit.

While the extensive, sombre Passacaglia emphasizes the dark
and the dramatic aspects of the piano, and using rhapsodic and
rhetorical elements to build a central climax; the concentrated,
very compact Fugue emerges from the distance and re-organizes
the material in a long escalation. This leads to a more spiritual,
solemn conclusion.