Elegy for the Victims of Indifference

PUBLISHER G Schirmer Inc

ORCHESTRATION acn/vc

Commissioned by Inbal Segev as part of the 20 for 2020 Recording Project

For Israeli composer Avner Dorman (b.1975), the invitation to compose a piece reflecting the appalling impact of the pandemic, struck a particularly strong emotional chord. ‘During the course of the coronavirus pandemic and the social upheaval of recent years,’ he points out, ‘I became increasingly aware of the number of people whose lives are lost due to the indifference of those in power. The piece is a lament for these victims of indifference, in the hope that their memories can help us improve as a society. 

‘The cello is, perhaps, the most natural instrument for a lament,’ he continues, ‘expressive, pensive, and lyrical. The accordion, its counterpart, marries the spiritual nature of an organ with the simplicity of a folk instrument – easily transported anywhere by a single musician. Structured as a set of variations, descending from the uppermost register of both instruments down to their lowest notes, the piece reflects on the memory of the victims, from the spiritual realm of the heavens down to their resting place in the earth.’ 

Dorman was a natural choice of composer for Segev as in 2012 she had commissioned a cello concerto from him that became a particular favourite. ‘After performing the concerto a few times,’ she reflects, ‘I wondered what his cello writing would sound like in the more intimate setting of chamber music. The idea of using an accordion was his, and it reminds us of growing up in Israel, where many families get together for evenings of folksong, accompanied by the accordion.