Discography | Dark am I
| Dark am I |
Keren's second disc came out in September 2007, and it is dedicated to a composition written especially for her by composer Ella Milch-Sheriff titled "Dark Am I...".
A musical fantasy based on an adaptation of biblical texts from the "Song of Songs", done by Keren and the composer, for soprano, singers trio (countertenor, tenor and bass), flute (piccolo and alto) oboe (English horn) French horn, violin, viola, cello, contrabass, percussion and piano. The music integrating Western and Middle Eastern elements and is sung in eight languages – English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Aramaic, Arabic and Hebrew.
The premier was in the Israel Festival 2007 with conductor Tamir Chasson and won praises from audience as well as critics.
In June 2008 "Dark am I" was performed in the Gothic Hall – Municipality of Brussels and in the International music festival Juillet Musical in the Luxembourg Province of Belgium and in November 9th 2008 it was performed in Vocalise Music Festival in Potsdam, Germany.
Conductor: Tamir Chasson
Soprano: Keren Hadar
Countertenor: David Feldman
Tenor: Nimrod Grinboim
Bass: Ville Lignell
Flute and Piccolo: Margalit Gafni
Oboe and English Horn: Muki Zohar
French horn: Alon Reuven
Violin: Daniel Bard
Viola: Avshalom Sarid
Cello: Yoni Gotlibovich
Contrabass: Orit Zelniker
Percussion: Giori Politi
Piano: Yoni Farhi
A very special thank you to Rena & Richard Stein who made this project possible.
Thank you to Rozin Center Ramat Aviv and Mr. Michael Eizenstat from the Israeli Opera Tel Aviv for helping with rehearsals, and the Israel Symphony and the Jerusalem Symphony orchestras for lending us instruments.
Thank you to Enas Masalcha, Abdala Masalcha, Elisete Retter, Aliza Lavi, Yosi, Esterisha, Lillian and Lela For assisting us with the many languages.
To purchase the CD please contact:
Ben-Zion Shira, New Generation Productions, Phone: +972-3-6440333, Email:
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Dark Am I... is a wonderful musical composition. The music of Ella Milch-Sheriff is comprehensive and conquering and the performance by Keren Hadar, with the three excellent young singers and a chamber group of musicians conducted by Tamir Chasson gave us a mesmerizing experience and a wonderful evening to remember.
As the author of Song of Songs wrote about Keren Hadar ' Dark am I but lovely, who is this coming up from the desert, for your voice is so sweet and your face is so lovely'. Indeed this was an evening of sweet voices, of lovely music and of outstanding pleasure... 
Danny Bloch, Israeli radio
...Ella Milch-Sheriff composed pleasurable and at times moving compositions in a variety of styles for verses from “Song of Songs” and soprano Keren Hadar, with her decisive stage presence, presented it in a way that brought the audience to a standing ovation before the end of the piece.
The orchestration by the composer was excellent, from the duet between the singer and the French Horn (played by Alon Reuven), to the tempest in the end, where the music describes the state of mind of the woman whose lover had vanished for good.
To sum it up - the various styles the composer successfully merged together to form a fascinating composition that won the audience's hearts, and led to an encore...
Hagai Hitron, Haaretz
She Came With Love. Ella Milch-Sheriff and Keren Hadar took the well known love story and blended it into an exotic and ethnic mix reminiscent of walks in the markets amid the array of colors, tastes and smells, and the mixture of familiar Eastern phrases combined with Kurt Weill and music from the Renaissance. Everything blends together and flows: Song of Songs receives a schematic dimension and the music intensifies the sublime text describing one, larger than life, love story. Sheriff's use of different kinds of drums combined with the English horn, contrabass, viola, cello and piano that chime like sounds from the Far East, and the great aesthetics of the harmonic writing and melodies - are evidence of a tremendous feat.
This piece allowed Keren Hadar to demonstrate all her abilities not only as an opera singer, but also as a master in rock and cabaret styles - and it was performed in good taste by two talented women who merged remarkably well together. This was the Israel Festival’s highlight and an impressive achievement for these two incredible artists.
I must also praise the wonderful musicians, the three male singers and the dedicated conducting of Tamir Chasson. This is a piece about love that was written with love, and will certainly last for many years to come. And the audience? They raved with enthusiasm.
Ora Binur, Maariv, 5.6.2007
The German premiere in presence of the Israeli composer Ella Milch-Sheriff became the highly-acclaimed travel through the history of music.
The personal and musical charisma of the soprano, Keren Hadar, the permanent change of language, and the diverse music styles from the old polyphony to the jazz, have drawn the picture of love that finally triumphs over the horror and the darkness. A marvelous concert evening.
Die Potsdamer Vokalreihe wurde hoch emotional im Nikolaisaal eröffnet Nach der Pause folgte die zuversichtliche Vertonung des "Hohelied Salomos". Die Deutsche Erstaufführung in Anwesenheit der israelischen Komponistin Ella Milch-Sheriff wurde zur bejubelten Reise durch die Musikgeschichte. Die menschliche und musikalische Ausstrahlung der Sopranistin, Keren Hadar, der ständige Wechsel der Sprache und die mannigfaltigen Musikstile von der frühen Mehrstimmigkeit bis zum Jazz zeichneten ein Bild von der Liebe nach, die letztlich das Grauen und die Finsternis besiegt. Ein großartiger Konzertabend. 
Matthias Müller, Maerkische Allegemeine, 11.11.2008
The musical fantasy "Dark am I…" by Ella Milch-Sheriff after the Song of Songs was performed as the German premiere. The work written specially for Israeli soprano Keren Hadar concentrates on the female perspective. Oriental and occidental rhythms, traditional and modern sounds broaden the multicultural flair. However, the impression of unity and harmony prevails. How should the Song of Songs sound in our time, if not in as many different languages and styles as here? Above all, the young soprano Keren Hadar combines the eclectic elements into a convincing whole. With her flexible, silvery voice mastering both European operatic singing and oriental sounds, she gives to many-sided aspects of love a universal expression.
Als deutsche Erstaufführung wurde "Schwarz bin ich …", eine musikalische Fantasie von Ella Milch-Sheriff nach dem Lied der Lieder aufgeführt. Das speziell auf die israelische Sopranistin Keren Hadar zugeschnittenene Werk konzentriert sich auf die weibliche Perspektive. Orientalische und westliche Rhythmen, traditionelle und moderne Klänge verbreiten multikulturelles Flair. Dennoch dominiert der Eindruck von Geschlossenheit und Harmonie. Wie sollte das Lied der Lieder in unserer Zeit auch klingen, wenn nicht in so vielen verschiedenen Sprachen und Stilen wie hier. Vor allem die junge Sopranistin Keren Hadar verbindet die eklektischen Elemente zu einem überzeugenden Ganzen. Mit ihrer biegsamen, silberhellen Stimme, die sowohl europäischem Operngesang als auch orientalische Laute perfekt beherrscht, verleiht sie den vielseitigen Aspekten der Liebe universellen Ausdruck.
Babette Kaiserkern, Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten, 11.11.2008
