Drawn to the Biblical history of the Intriguing land of 'Jesus'

On the 30 April 2016,  the iMaestri  Orchestra will be performing  the World Premiere  of Elizabeth Norden's orchestral piece ,  "Palestine " in the beautiful setting of The Holy Trinity Church in  South Kensington , London. It is a musical memoir that reflects her profound experience of  Palestine back in 1998 when she was  invited to teach and perform on the piano  in Bethlehem, Jerusalem Hebron and Ramallah.

During her visit she engaged  with local musicians  who demonstrated the non western scales of their heritage.    " I found the arabic music so  intoxicating I was convinced that this was to be  the new influence on western music, as the Blues had been for Jazz and Pop music. There was a whole rich  tapestry of sound waiting to be explored  and I was surprised how little  had permeated its way into western music as an influence except  through the spanish composers, or if  composers were writing  for films that needed to convey the  " arabic" sound.   It was this new found sound source that inspired Norden to  fuse the ethnic scales  and modes on which this piece is based with the disciplines of  her western musical harmony and the classical orchestra; "one of the most beautiful inventions of mankind."

This piece also reflects  something far deeper than a fusion of western and arabic music.  During Norden's visit she was  " welcomed by a  sea   of  generosity, kindness  and gratitude from the Palestinian people that I had never met before. At times  I was moved me to tears.  It   was all the  more poignant as the warmth of human kindness existed  within the confines  of a stolen freedom, a concept  that I as a westerner had no  previous experience or understanding of.  I was sharing the intense negotiation of daily living that is the never ending ordeal of the Palestinians under occupation.  At the same time I was  drawn to  the Palestinian  way of life, the food and the sounds of the call to prayer   echoing over  the  sweeping   landscapes.  All this   fired my imagination. Coffee in   Ramallah  was like being in a " petit paris" and evoked a nostalgic  response especially as     I was deeply drawn  to  the biblical history of this intriguing land, namely recalling that this was the birth place of Jesus." She  was brought up a catholic, a middle child of four brothers and four sisters. " I felt very at "home" in Palestine."

She came back to the Uk a different person and felt isolated from her English friends. She  could not express in words what she  had experienced and witnessed . " I had encountered a deep humanity amongst people trying to live a normal life.  It seemed more of an irony when  I was back in my  country of  freedom where I experienced less humanity.   We will  never understand the concept of freedom until it is taken away".    It was this profound experience that  challenged Norden's own values and concepts and  for the while  it left her feeling empty and guilty.  She was pinning for Palestine and the friends that she had made.

 Originally "Palestine"  was made using the synthetic sounds of a  computer generated sound source  that imitated   the   western classical orchestra. It was part of   her first album,  " Dedication"  written in 2000.

 It was a  chance meeting  some years later   with  George Hlawiczka, the artistic director of the Imaestri Orchestra, who expressed an  interest in  performing  "Palestine" 

The I Maestri Orchestra is a self-funded orchestra which has just celebrated its 15th anniversary. The orchestra was created in 2001 to enable conductors to work with professional musicians drawn from the ranks of the top London orchestras, all of who give their services on a voluntary basis.

To ensure that   "Palestine"  was to become a successful piece transformed from a "synthetic" sound to a  "live"  western orchestra, the expertise of  the top   grammy nominated orchestrator, Nick Ingman,who has orchestrated and conducted two oscar winning films  , will  also be conducting the  world premier. 

When the orchestral version of  "Palestine" is  finally performed   it will be 16 years since it was composed  and 18 years since the composer  first  visited   Palestine. " It seems  that  the Palestinians are both victims and perpetrators in the eyes of the media and sadly this is a tiny expression of who they really are. I met highly educated, dedicated, and polite people living normal lives and working hard.  I see  this composition  as a positive expression  of the Palestinian  vitality and  generosity as well as  the beauty of their land. It is testimony to a life-changing experience.