The Azrieli Foundation Presents the London Debut of The Azrieli Music Prizes at Cadogan Hall

The Azrieli Foundation will present its Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) London Debut Concert at Cadogan Hall on October 15, 2023, at 6:30 PM featuring the European premieres of prize-winning works by the three 2022 AMP Laureates: Iman Habibi, Aharon Harlap and Rita Ueda.

The Philharmonia Orchestra - London's world-class symphony orchestra for the 21st century - will bring these three exceptional compositions to life under the direction of acclaimed American conductor Steven Mercurio. Soprano Sharon Azrieli, vocalist and setar player Sepideh Raissadat, shō player Naomi Sato and suona/sheng player Zhongxi Wu join the Orchestra as soloists. Georgia Mann, host of BBC Radio 3's popular show Essential Classics, will serve as the concert's presenter.

The evening's program will showcase the extraordinary talent of the prize-winning composers, representing their diverse musical traditions and backgrounds. Birds Calling... from the Canada in You for shō, suona/sheng and orchestra by Vancouver-based, Canadian composer Rita Ueda (Laureate - 2022 Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music) takes the audience on a journey incorporating Japanese, Chinese and Western musical traditions within a uniquely Canadian bird song soundscape. [WATCH here.]

True to its inspiration, the London performance of Birds Calling... from the Canada in You will immerse the audience in a spatial music experience. Unique placements of musicians throughout Cadogan Hall, including from the choir loft and upper balcony, will surround the audience in an enveloping experience of environmental sounds.

"Growing up in Canada, I have always felt that traditional Western birdsong works do not sound like any birds I know," says Ueda. "Beethoven's 'Pastoral' Symphony, Respighi's The Birds and Messiaen's Oiseaux exotiques, to name a few, are pieces by composers I deeply respect, but none of them sound like birds in our Canadian soundscape. Many of the iconic Canadian birds are not songbirds. I decided to accept the diversity of our bird species to include birds that squawk, screech, hoot, drum, and squeal as well as those that sing and chirp. Birds Calling ... is a uniquely Canadian musical bird call experience." Through her composition, Ueda also observes the ever-shifting interactions between cultures in flux by asking, "What does it mean to migrate and settle on land already rich in history?"

Shāhīn-nāmeh by Iman Habibi (Laureate, 2022 Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music) is a song cycle for voice and orchestra based on 14th-century Judeo Persian poetry of Shahin Shirazi, featuring vocalist and setar player Sepideh Raissadat. [WATCH here.] Habibi explores the connection between his Persian heritage and Jewish culture, finding inspiration in Shirazi's Ardashir-nāmah (the Book of Ardashir), especially the poems that comment on the tale of Queen Esther in connection to the mythical characters of the monumental 11thcentury epic Shahnameh (The Book of Kings).

"This piece incorporates a Persian traditional singing style in the solo part, against a backdrop of Western classical instruments," says Habibi. "The result is an exciting fresh sound and a marriage of many different cultural and musical languages. It is my hope that this new work can bring much-deserved attention to this little-known poetry, but also show the close affinity that has existed historically between Persians and Jews dating back to sixth century B.C."

It will be a momentous month for Habibi. The same week as the London concert, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and Andris Nelson will perform his Zhiân, a BSO commission which premiered at Tanglewood this past July.

Completing the program is Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord, for soprano and orchestra by Israeli composer Aharon Harlap (Laureate, 2022 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music), featuring Sharon Azrieli as soloist. [WATCH here.] Harlap's composition is deeply inspired by the Psalms with each of its five movements corresponding to a psalm of a different mood and character.

Ludwig van Montreal praised the work noting, "Here was lyricism of a Mahlerian stamp... married to a sure sense of the joys and sorrows inherent in the texts."

Harlap explains the piece further: "Through the ages, the Psalms have been a source of solace and comfort to the Jewish people. I chose five of these Psalms that deal with the belief in God's strength to overcome all adversity and to protect us in times of need. The words of the Psalms have been my inspiration throughout. Here, they are sung by the soprano soloist in the original Hebrew."

This concert is part of a total prize package of more than $200,000 CAD received by each AMP Laureate. The package includes a cash award of $50,000 CAD, at least two international showcase performances, and a recording of the winning work released on the Analekta label.

Tickets for the live concert are affordably priced at £11.50 - £37.50 and are on sale here. AMP's latest album, New Jewish Music Vol. 4, featuring the program's prize-winning works, will be released by Analekta just ahead of the performance, on October 6, 2023.

The Azrieli Foundation will announce the next cohort of four 2024 AMP laureates on November 2, 2023, including the laureate for the new prize: the Azrieli Commission for International Music.

Iman Habibi is an Iranian-Canadian composer and pianist and a founding member of the piano duo Piano Pinnacle. Dr. Habibi has been commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Orchestra of St. Luke's, and collaborated with the Vancouver and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, as well as the JACK, Chiara, Del Sol and Calidore String Quartets. His awards include multiple SOCAN Foundation Awards, the InternationalComposers' Award at the Estoterics 'Polyphonos' Choral Composition Competition (2012), the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Emerging Artist in Music (2011) and the Brehm Prize in Choral Composition (2016). Learn more at imanhabibi.com.

Aharon Harlap is one of Israel's most prominent and awarded composers and conductors. He began his musical career in Canada as a pianist, and in 1964 immigrated to Israel. He was Associate Professor at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where he taught conducting and composition, and was head of Opera from 1976-2018.

Most recently, Harlap received the Life Achievement Award (2020) for Jewish Art compositions, sponsored by Zippora Jochsberger and the Jerusalem Academy. He is closely identified as a composer of music dealing with Biblical texts ranging from chamber to orchestral, opera and oratorio works. His works have been performed in Canada, Israel, the U.S., Europe, South Africa, Russia and Thailand. Learn more at aharonharlap.com.

About Rita Ueda, 2022 Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music Laureate
Rita Ueda is a Canadian composer of orchestral, operatic and choral works that reflect today's interactions between cultures in flux. Recent premieres include collaborations with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Prague Modern, Locrian Chamber Players (New York), the Amadeus Choir (Toronto) and the SYC Ensemble Singers (Singapore). Her numerous awards include the 2014 Krzysztof Penderecki International Composers' Competition (1st prize), 2010 International Mahler Competition (orchestra, 2nd prize), 2011 Estoterics 'Polyphonos' Choral Composition Competition (1st prize) and the 2013 Val Tidone Composition Competition (orchestra, 2nd prize). She was most recently Composer-in-Residence of Sanremo Symphony Orchestra (Italy).

Founded in 1945, The Philharmonia is a world-class symphony orchestra for the 21st century, led by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali. The Philharmonia creates thrilling performances for global audiences from its home base in London at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, on tour, in residence at festivals across England, and when streaming online. Learn more at philharmonia.co.uk.

Established in 2014, the biennial Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) are an expression of the Azrieli Foundation's conviction that music is a vital human endeavour that allows humankind to express its creativity, expand its worldview and foster positive cultural exchanges. Open to the international music community, AMP accepts proposals for works from individuals of all ages, genders, nationalities, backgrounds and faiths. These proposals are submitted to three expert juries for review through an open call.

AMP's four prize packages - valued at $200,000 CAD each - make it the largest competition for music composition in Canada and one of the most substantial in the world.

Past prize-winners include Canadian composers Keiko Devaux (2020), Kelly-Marie Murphy (2018) and Brian Current (2016); Israeli American composers Yotam Haber (2020) and Avner Dorman (2018); Australian Israeli composer Yitzhak Yedid (2020); and Polish American composer Wlad Marhulets (2016). Learn more at azrielifoundation.org/amp.

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