The sounds of heaven and earth merge when David De’or and Shlomo Bar, two internationally acclaimed Israeli artists, combine their musical talents.
De’or captivates his listeners with an astounding vocal range that covers 3 1/2 octaves. His voice, which plunges to the depths of a rich baritone only to ascend to the celestial melody of a contra-tenor, has captured the attention of music critics, the media and state leaders the world over, including the Vatican, the Italian press, the King and Queen of Sweden, various symphony orchestras and the Library of Congress — where he will perform on Oct. 22 together with Bar and his band, Habrera Hativ’it (Natural Band).
Bar lends a different yet complimentary musical flavor to De’or’s signature sounds. Influenced by the Sephardic and Middle Eastern musical heritage, Bar and his band create earthy and ethnic rhythms by combining Eastern and Western instruments such as the conga, bongo, tambura (a classical Indian string instrument) and flute. Bar weaves within the music, lyrics taken from a variety of sources such as the Bible, Israeli poets and hymns from Spain’s golden age.
De’or and Bar offer more than just technical mastery of their musical genres. Their performances evoke a sense of prayer, soul and expression that stir the heart. Audiences who do know Hebrew understand the importance of the lyrics by watching and hearing the artists’ soulful expressions.
De’or and Bar, who have also performed and produced albums individually, will tour the United States this October and November. They will perform at the University of Judaism’s Gindi Auditorium on Nov. 1. For more information and tickets, contact Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble, the tour’s producer, at (818) 784-0344.
