Press reviews
“Mr. Pelz’s fluttering “Chinese Whispers” brought the five excellent Meitar players, including the clarinetist Jonathan Hadas and the violinist Moshe Aharonov, together. The end — long seconds of toneless evocation of breathing — was as delicate as music gets.”
“And so it continued, with Mr. Pelz’s “Repetition Blindness,” a restless new piece that shifts from dreamily descending arpeggios to bouts of pummeling chords, at the center of the program”
Anthony Tommasini, The New-York Times Review of David Greilsammer concert at the Crypt Sessions
“The Pelz premiere made an ominously lustrous centerpiece.”
Delarue, New-York Music Daily of David Greilsammer concert at the Crypt Sessions
“…musique alerte et rafraichissante, ludique autant que risquée, où se conjuguent finesse et inventivité. Pierre-André Valade lui confère sa légèreté et en détaille les trouvailles sonores.”
“Deux œuvres d’Ofer Pelz, un jeune et talentueux compositeur israélien formé à Jérusalem, à Paris, et à Montréal, complétaient le programme. Convergence et Chinese Whispers s’inscrivent dans le sillage de Philippe Leroux (ce dernier enseigne la composition à Montréal depuis 2009) en ce que la musique s’y construit au moyen de gestes sonores obtenus à partir d’instruments traditionnels.
Dans Convergence (2010), la flûte alto dialogue avec son écho modifié en direct par un dispositif électronique ; elle nous révèle également qu’un instrument de musique est capable de produire une foule de sons au-delà des notes de la gamme auxquelles on la cantonne habituellement. Mais au-delà de toute considération technique, Convergence nous plonge dans un univers envoûtant qui évoque une forêt luxuriante peuplée d’animaux mystérieux.
Chinese Whispers (2013) peut être considéré comme un prolongement de Convergence. Commande de l’ensemble Meitar, la pièce s’ouvre avec un passage percussif auquel se mélangent le souffle des instruments à vent et les soupirs des cordes. Après un long glissando collectif (où l’on retrouve, comme chez Philippe Leroux, une inspiration « électronique » appliquée à la musique acoustique), la pièce finit par exhaler son dernier souffle à travers les instruments à vents. C’est dans ce genre de moments que résident l’originalité d’Ofer Pelz : ce qui n’est habituellement qu’un effet sonore devient chez lui matière à musique.”
“…Phrases were punctuated by silences, these pauses taking on more meaning as they accumulated, plunging the listener into a heightened state of concentration and bringing him into close contact with his own senses. The beauty of small gestures articulated cleanly and with delicacy is paramount in this work. One of Israel’s most prominent young composers…”
“The opening piece ‘Chinese Whispers’ by Ofer Pelz, revealed unexplored angles combining musical instrument noise, such as blowing without sound, with sounds, and created a story of continuous-truncated sounds and original and beautiful musical worlds.”
Noam Ben Zeev, Haaretz (Hebrew)
“The composer Ofer Pelz in his piece “Do Bats eat Cats?” (2010-2011). The motivations which brought this nonsense question from “Alice in wonderland”, supposedly inspired Pelz to think differently, to express with music, worlds that are not behaving by the known rules, to exhibit the ensemble in a mirror-land where time is tuned differently and the reflecting colors shine unfamiliarly.
Pelz did not go against the nature of the instruments, although he uses blowing sounds without pitches, and ricochet effect with the strings: he just present them in a kaleidoscope where chopped rhythm, pauses, glimpse of notes, and a mixture of plucking-hitting-blowing effects create a pleasant world to listen to.”
Noam Ben Zeev, Haaretz – review of a concert played by the Israel contemporary players (Hebrew)
“… the piece stood out in its originality and through its insightful use of musical expression.The piece exhibited a successful combination of new ideas with a clear mastering of compositional skills…”
“…Written for a group of instruments and electronics, wonderfully conducted by Karin Ben-Josef, the piece (Unisoni Trasparenti) exposed an original and unique language that much depth and thought were put into … It was a pleasure to listen to the complex music, where the electronic and acoustic worlds merge, well executed; it was worthwhile going to this concert, if only for this end…”
“…It was a pleasure to listen to the sound world that emerged during the piece (Do Bats eat Cats?)…with a delicate taste, humor, and a clear formal perception that is logical and unique.”
“… The piece (Equilibrium) is polyrhythmically challenging, explored by new means of musical sound… The composer succeeds to create dramatic music with the use of minimal means, which all together are combined to create a unique world of sounds that the ear does not get tired of listening to.”
“Ofer Pelz’s piece “Do Bats eat Cats?”, with a title borrowed from L. Carroll, was one of the most daring pieces in this concert, mainly for its use of silences. At the start of the piece, there were soft noises and percussive sounds with long silences between them… One could find in it something risky and rude, which gave the piece a drive as it became more and more dense. The result was a magical and sharp collage…”
Press-reviews on the album Trinité
“…the acoustic and the electronic operating in conversation with each other and in doing so presenting us with a most modern take on beauty itself.”
“Brilliantly inventive music is achieved through a seeking, inquisitive mind; the music of Ofer Pelz is to be celebrated. “
– Colin Clarke – American Record Guide –
“While each of the five pieces featured on Trinité is conceptually and formally distinct, all are ever-evolving panoramas that captivate for being so restless and alive.”
“This is a worthwhile experience for anyone wanting to broaden their horizon and test the waters of ‘acoustic electronics’.” – Vital Weekly
“fearless and fresh” – Vital Weekly
“Wild stuff that colors outside the lines.” – Midwest Record
“The not so high minded could turn this album into a drinking game as they take turns calling out just what echoes of what they hear as this goes upon it’s merry way. Eggheads can just sit back and enjoy the experimentation.” – Midwest Record
“The remaining four works continue in the color-atmospheric zone each in their own way, with impressive eloquence, with convincing sound personality and sensitive performances that do the music full justice.” – Classical Modern Music
“It is just what you need for some refreshing poetic forays into timbral brilliance. Bravo.” – Classical Modern Music
“…what stands out in all the works heard on “Trinité” are the aesthetic beauty of Ofer Pelz’ compositional style, the fine detail and commitment that go into producing music of this quality.”
“carefully textured and full of experimental and chamber ideas that are pieced together meticulously.” – Take Effect
“Pelz has already paved an exceptional career, and together with Meitar Ensemble they are birthing innovative and thriving chamber music that few could replicate.” – Take Effect
“…ça produit quelque chose de très rythmé qui donne l’impression que la pianiste danse à claquettes sur son clavier (non, non, j’aime ça!)”
TRANSLATION:(it produces something very rhythmic that sounds like the pianist is tap dancing on the keyboard (no, no, I like that!)”
“Un compositeur à surveiller dans un programme près de chez vous (ici, là et ailleurs).”
TRANSLATION(“A composer to watch for in a program near you (here, there and elsewhere).”
“This present disc seems to me to offer great rewards for the curious listener” – Music Web International
“There is a sense of vibrant motion to Pelz’s music which I find very appealing.” – Music Web Internationa
“…a distinctive and attractive voice on the contemporary scene” – Music Web International
Whim ensemble reviews:
“…the two focus on time, texture, space, and ambiance through seven fascinating improvisations…both players ebb and swell in response to the other player, with intense concentration and profoundly creative intent.” SquidCo review on pre-fall album “The avant-garde duo of pianist Ofer Pelz and percussionist Preston Beebe just released Pre-Fall, an amalgamation of various experiments in the spontaneous synchronicity of the two performers here. While the recorded output is a fantastic experience in its own right, there is something truly mesmerizing in witnessing such performance being played live, as I had the chance to. Hopefully, you’ll get to do the same, but in the meantime, let this incredible release engulf you whole.” Dæv Tremblay, Can this even be called music? “Although the duo achieve a very specific sound aesthetic from the beginning of the record, they somehow find varying ways to re-interpret themselves making for a very encapsulating experience from beginning to end.” Donovan Burtan, posityvelyunderground. “…chaque performance révèle son propre souffle, sa façon de se tendre et se détendre à travers les mouvements prévus et les passages improvisés. Le dialogue entre le piano préparé et le rythme est surprenant, et peut passer de deux jazzmen qui jouent «tight» à des vibrations expérimentales réverbérées.” Philippe Dejardins, Le Canal Auditif. http://lecanalauditif.ca/?s=whim “Our artistic worlds are fused into one. Some pieces sound more free jazzy, others more contemporary classical. Most are just a blend of everything because of our mixed cultures and musical backgrounds.” – From Kohlenstoff interview. https://kohlenstoffrecords.com/interview/ “Combinant piano préparé et percussions, les deux musiciens jouent avec cette frontière qui sépare composition et improvisation afin de créer des oeuvres uniques en musique actuelle.” Vincent Pruel, Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec. |