SHARON KAM

The joint concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic, held after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, was a historic occasion. Sharon Kam, then 19 years old, delivered a brilliant solo performance that evening – her exceptional playing made her renowned in Germany overnight. Now, the internationally celebrated clarinetist can reflect on a fulfilling career as a soloist, chamber musician, lecturer, and curator, and has reached a point where she intentionally designs her concerts – mainly for enjoyment and challenge. To mark the 200th anniversary of Carl Maria von Weber’s death, the clarinettist chose a piece that Weber composed initially for a »clarinet genius« and a great humorist. Instead of Heinrich Baermann at the time, Sharon Kam showcases Weber’s demands for virtuosity and musical wit. The chamber music ensemble engages in question-and-answer exchanges, surpasses itself in operatic bel canto melodies, and revels in the tone of the capricious and fantastical. Weber’s witty entertainment is followed by Brahms’s enchanting dialogue, which conveys the subtle melancholy of the fin de siècle.

This concert is part of the Festival-Subscription IV.