Maestro Harvey Bordowitz

When I came to Herzliya in the spring of 1986, I moved into an apartment directly across the street from Yad Lebanim. Among the very first things that happened once I had settled in was an introduction to Mira, the secretary in the Herzliya Chamber Orchestra office. She told me all about the orchestra, and when she mentioned that the performances would be held at Yad Lebanim, I immediately became a subscriber. Little did I know then that this would be the beginning of a love affair between the Herzliya Chamber Orchestra, its Music Director, Harvey Bordowitz, and me - a love affair which has continued to this day.

I became a frequent visitor to the office and have become a friend of the office staff and of Harvey Bordowitz, as well as of some of the players, and I am also a dedicated volunteer in the office.

For 31 years Maestro Bordowitz has nurtured his orchestra; for 26 of these years I have been a loyal and faithful subscriber. I have watched the orchestra and its director grow and mature. In its early years it was a chamber orchestra, as its name implies, consisting of fewer than 20 players. Since then the HCO has become a full-fledged symphony orchestra with 40 or more players. Harvey Bordowitz is a gifted, innovative and daring music director who, with hard work and imagination, has brought us the most interesting and diverse programs. We were treated to soloists and conductors from abroad as well as from closer to home and to a variety of music found nowhere else.

Here is just a small sampling of the unusual performances which we have enjoyed over the years:

Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev, narrated in the original Russian language; Three Women, Three Faiths, which contained liturgical and folk music from the three great religious heritages of the Middle East; Spiritual Arias which featured the Missa Luba, a Congolese Mass; Venice Masked Carnival as well as Carnival in Venice, with performers dressed in beautiful Venetian costume; we heard The Journey to Hope, The Singing Strings, The Magic Trumpet, and more.

There were choral works such as Haydn's The Creation, Vivaldi's Gloria and Mozart's Requiem, and we heard a complete performance of Mozart's one-act opera, The Impresario. There was light music by Scott Joplin, two overtures by Gilbert and Sullivan, Symphony no. 5-1/2 - A Symphony for Fun - by Don Gillis, and surprise bonus concerts.

More serious music featured the Czech masters - Dvorak and Smetana; Russian favorites by Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky and all the many European masters.

This is just a tiny sample of all the exciting works brought to us by Harvey Bordowitz and his orchestra over the years.

We heard music by composers long gone as well as a number of premieres by composers still living; Bordowitz brought us the Li-Ron Choir and the Li-Ron Dance Group, the Kibbutz Artzi Choir, the Haifa Gittit Choir, soloists from the Leipzig Opera, and also famous soloists such as Amit Peled - cello; Chen Zimbalista - marimba and percussion; Rami Tal - flute; Julia Sverdlov - harp; Roman Rabinovich and Nahum Starkman - well known pianists.

Guest conductors came from Hungary, Poland, China, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada and the U.S., among other countries.

The orchestra recorded three CDs - Ebony and Ivory, Fireworks! and Finlandia, Light Classical Gems.

While all this is most admirable, the best part is Harvey Bordowitz himself. A gifted conductor and lecturer - each performance was preceded by a lecture in Hebrew as well as in English (for those of us for whom Hebrew is a bit of a problem) - explaining the music which we were about to hear, thus enabling us to listen with much greater understanding.

Harvey is the only conductor I know who permits his audience to address him by his first name. Unlike most other conductors, he does not hold himself aloof from his listeners; he is an approachable person, warm and friendly, who mingles easily with his audience before and after performances. Having had the privilege of sitting in on rehearsals, I am also aware of the excellent rapport he has with the members of his orchestra.

After 31 years, Harvey would understandably like to move into some other direction, but that is no reason for the orchestra's musicians to have to close their collective instrument cases and disband. Many conductors move from one orchestra to another in order to find the best place for themselves, but the orchestras continue to function and to perform with new and different conductors.

According to the "powers-that-be" of the city of Herzliya, there will be a hiatus of one year; the city will then reevaluate the situation and decide how to continue. I wonder what they will decide.

This is a real blow, particularly to the older members of the orchestra who will have a most difficult time finding other employment. I wish them well and thank them for the beautiful music which they have made over the years for our enjoyment.

To Harvey Bordowitz, his charming wife Sarah, to all the members of the orchestra and to the office staff, my very best wishes to you. You will be sorely missed.