PRELUDE FOR SOLO VIOLIN
My father, Menachem Zur, composed Prelude for me in the Spring of 1991, as a work to be played at an audition in Israel that required a compulsory Israeli work. Despite its short duration, it features a kaleidoscope of ideas and characters: the main, recurring one being a rather majestic theme with a Mediterranean flare. Other characters include a fast, motoric, driving section and a dreamy, searching section. The musical language is not tonal in a classical sense, but each section has a main note that serves as a feeling of “home” and the whole piece is in a kind of present-day D Minor. Over the past 25 years, Prelude has been performed by dozens of violinists, violists, mandolin, and guitar players.
Professor Menachem Zur (b. 1942) has written over 200 works in every classical genre, including operas, symphonies, vocal music, concertos, chamber and solo music. He is retired from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance where he served as professor of composition and dean for over 35 years, and he served as Chair of the Israel Composers League. His music has been widely performed across Israel, the United States, Europe, and the Far East.
Program note by Yonah Zur
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