SAN DIEGO — Throughout the years, many composers have been fascinated by the sounds of birds. Vivaldi imitated birdcalls in his Four Seasons, Haydn, in his Toy Symphony, Beethoven, in his Pastoral Symphony, Respighi incorporated a recording of a bird into his Pines of Rome, and a jazz violinist once popularized a piece called, The Hot Canary. However, no one has captivated the sound and the flight of a bird more beautifully than the English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams, in his Romance for Violin and Orchestra, The Lark Ascending. And few violinists can match my sister Zina Schiff’s rendition of this inspiring work which Gramaphone Magazine lauded for “the purity of her interpretation.”
The Lark Ascending is the title of Zina’s first CD, the Stradivari Classics 1989 release, recorded at the Jerusalem Music Center with the Israel Philharmonic, Dalia Atlas, conducting. The CD, consisting of music by Vaughan Williams, also includes his Concerto Accademico for violin and orchestra and two works for orchestra alone, Charterhouse Suite and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.
Although this was not Zina’s first experience in a recording studio—she had recorded the Maurice Jarre score for MGM’s John Frankenheimer movie, The Fixer, when she was a teenager—her recording with the Israel Philharmonic was an especially exciting experience. Zina knew the story of the great Polish-Jewish violinist, Bronislaw Huberman, who formed the orchestra in 1936. In order to rescue as many Jewish orchestral musicians from Nazi-held territory as he could, Huberman brought them to Palestine to form an orchestra. Italian maestro, Arturo Toscanini, considered the world’s greatest conductor, led the orchestra in its first concerts.
Zina was also thrilled to collaborate with the Israeli-born Dalia Atlas, one of the few women, at the time, to gain worldwide recognition as a conductor. Atlas was the first woman to receive prizes in international competitions, such as the Dmitri Mitropoulos Competition in New York and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Competition in England and guest conduct major orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
I recall taking Zina to visit the San Diego Zoo to observe the bird exhibits before she flew to Israel for the recording. She listened to the bird songs and watched their flight in the giant enclosures.
In The Lark Ascending, one can imagine the orchestra as representing the tranquil, lush, green English countryside and the solo violin, the slowly ascending lark.The Lark Ascending score has a quote from Joys of the Earth, by George Meredith: “He rises and begins to round, he drops the silver chain of sound and ever winding up and up, our valley is his golden cup, and he with wine which overflows to lift us with him as he goes. Till lost on his aerial rings, in light and then the fancy sings.”
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May this music lift you to the imaginary heights and serene beauty of a lark ascending.
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Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.
SO MANY TODARABAS DEAR EILEEN!
AS ONE OF YOUR FAITHFUL PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC COLLABORATORS, I AM IN CONTINUOUS ADMIRATION OF YOUR TALENTS, YOUR DEDICATION AND DEVOTION TO YOUR MANY MUSICAL GIFTS!
CELEBRATING YOUR NINETIETH (!!!) BIRTHDAY AND HEARING ZINA PLUS ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS PLAY & PRAISE YOU, I SIMPLY CONGRATULATE YOU ON AN ONGOING BASIS!
This is one of my favorite musical works ever. It was the first work I heard from Ralph Vaughan Williams. I thereafter became a devotee of nearly all of his work, including his symphonies. My son became a devotee as well. We were glad the San Diego Symphony, about a decade ago, played this at one of their seasonal concerts. Thank you for sharing this version, as it is the best I’ve heard since Hugh Bean’s classic renditions. Too many times, I hear violinists play this too roughly. This person plays it the way Williams intended, with grace and a soft touch. Also, thank you for your work over the years with the symphony. When we lived in San Diego area, our son and I went each season to the symphony. He and I adored the varied programs, well beyond the Killer Bs and Mozart–we particularly loved the Resphegi, Mendelssoh, and Sibelius performances.
What a lovely experience to share this beautiful music. Thank you and Lag Bomer Samach!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful musical performance and providing additional meaning and insight with your article.
A sheer pleasure!
Elisha Blatt
San Diego, CA