Israeli virtuoso delivers a stellar performance
ISRAELI musician Yoni Rechter thrilled the audience at his first Australian concert.
CONCERT: YONI RECHTER
REVIEWED BY DALIA SABLE
MELBOURNE’S Classic Cinema was transformed into a recital hall when musician and composer Yoni Rechter entertained the crowds at his first Melbourne concert.
Rechter brought the house down with his rich voice and expert keyboard playing, punctuated by his casual comments and audience interaction.
At the concert earlier this month he spoke to the audience in a mixture of English and Hebrew, with many calling out words to help translate his Hebrew conversation, while others laughed at Rechter’s comments as though they were sharing a joke with an old friend.
Rechter was joined on stage at first by a guitarist, bassist and drummer and, after a few songs, by two female vocalists and a male vocalist, who also played acoustic guitar.
The band clearly had experience playing together as they harmonised and worked off each other.
Together with the band, Rechter sang a combination of old and new songs, introducing many with an explanation of where and when the song had been produced and, being the renowned composer that he is, for whom it had been written.
With a strong physical resemblance to his father, Michael Rechter joined the band to expertly play The Jewish Autumn, a moving song about Yom Kippur in Israel.
The band also sang a medley of songs from Rechter’s famous children’s album HaKeves HaShisha-Asarah (The 16th Sheep). Just as the adults in the audience sang along to Rechter’s more “mature” songs, so too did the children in the audience, demonstrating that the album is clearly still resonating with Rechter’s younger fans despite it being released more than three decades ago.
His international appeal was also obvious. Rechter was joined on stage by members of the Mount Scopus Memorial College choir, who accompanied him on three songs.
Rechter’s first concert, followed by two other performances at the Classic Cinema, as well as one at Bennetts Lane jazz club, brought Israeli culture to Melbourne.
The foyer of the venue was bustling with Hebrew speakers reminiscent of a Tel Aviv coffee shop. Inside, these fans and others clapped and sang along as Rechter transported his audience to the bustling, culturally rich and vibrant panorama of Israel.
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