In Memory of Sergiu Natra,
Who Left Us Last Year
The prolific and respected composer was a well-known and esteemed personality worldwide. I would like to share a few thoughts in his memory on a personal level.
I was privileged to play his work, Sonatina for harp, just a few months after I transitioned to harp and a short time after it won the contest for an “Israeli Piece” at the Third Harp Contest.
My memories of Judith
I first met Judith in 2003 when she invited me to serve on the jury for the International Harp Contest in Israel. Her reputation for maintaining the highest musical standards and world class ranking of the contest had already made her a legend as well as her playing as the principal harpist of the Israel Philharmonic. I knew she was formidable. I was nervous and excited to meet her.
The first meeting was at a jury dinner. As I listened to her speak with clarity, warmth, and humor about how the contest was to be conducted, I started to relax. She was human after all!
And so began our friendship.
My mother, Edna Buchman was born in Tel-Aviv in 1929. (A “Sabra”… to parents who emigrated from Russia.)
As a child, she learnt the piano till the age of 17, (when she joined the “Hagana” organization.)
When she was 19, she met a young flutist (my father…) (and fell in love with him…)
The flutist told her that his dream was to marry a harpist so that he can have someone to play the Mozart concerto with… So, she started to take harp lessons. Her teacher was Clara Szarvas, the first harpist of the newly established Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.
Preserving the Joy of Music Making – Ruth Maayani
It was both an honor and a sad occurrence to be asked to write a eulogy for our mother, Ruth Maayani. It is not yet five months since our beloved Mother passed away and the pain of her loss is still fresh and acute, yet my sister Ayellet and I chose to see this as a chance to celebrate her unique personality through her dedication to the harp, to music and to her students.