Nimrod Borenstein: Composer and Conductor
Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman
11/01/24
•115m
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Nimrod Borenstein is a brilliant composer, who was a child prodigy as both a composer and performer. His often complex music is beloved by performers and audiences alike, and has been widely recorded and performed internationally. He is also a renowned conductor, and he spoke to me about his difficult decision to cut short his career as a violin soloist in order to find alternate career options as he developed his career as a composer. Vladimir Ashkenazy has been an active champion of Nimrod’s music, and you’ll hear the charming story of their first meeting. Ashkenazy first conducted Borenstein’s orchestral work The Big Bang and Creation of the Universe op. 52 to great acclaim, and the Chandos label released a very successful album devoted to Borenstein’s music conducted by Ashkenazy featuring his Violin Concerto and orchestral works.
Nimrod shares his insights about interpreting music for performers and conductors, the development of his compositional style and his views on creativity in general. Nimrod has an infectious energy in his enthusiasm for the pursuit of beauty. Nimrod has exceptional parents, and you’ll hear how they met, and we start with Nimrod’s close relationship to his father the renowned painter Alec Borenstein.
You’ll be hearing excerpts from a couple of recordings, with thanks to both SOMM recordings and Naxos; links to Nimrod Borenstein's compositions and recordings below
This episode is also a captioned video on YouTube, and you can read the transcript at this link as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/nimrod-borenstein
Nimrod Borenstein website, for his discography, compositions and current projects: https://www.nimrod-borenstein.com/recordings
To support this series, please either buy me a coffee
or shop at my merchandise store
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:27) father Alec Borenstein, sharing ideas about great art and creativity
(10:44) Un moment de sérénité Shirim, op. 94, no. 5 performed by pianist Clélia Iruzun with thanks to SOMM recordings
(13:24) the importance of contrast
(15:06) importance of dynamics, notation, interpretation
(18:04) evolution of Nimrod’s compositions, decision to give up career as a violin soloist
(22:37)Concertos
(24:51) piano Etudes
(30:11) Tango Etude. op. 66 No. 3 on the Naxos label with pianist Tra Nguyen
(32:32) piano Etudes, first symphony
(35:24) Chopin performed very little, Nimrod’s decision to prioritize composition
(36:41)decision to conduct
(43:47) excerpt from the 3rd movement of the Borenstein Concerto for Piano and Orchestra op. 91, performed by Clélia Iruzun and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Nimrod Borenstein conductor
(47:11) conducting, composition and interpretation
(55:35)past episodes you may enjoy, different ways to support this series
(56:20) English Chamber Orchestra 2025 collaboration Shakespeare Songs
(57:16)how Vladimir Ashkenazy became a champion of Nimrod’s compositions
(01:06:38) evolution of Nimrod’s compositional style, use of polyrhythms, finding his voice
(01:24:09) excerpt from the 2nd movement of the Borenstein Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, op. 91, performed by Clélia Iruzun and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with Nimrod conducting.
(01:27:31) Nimrod’s childhood in France, then move to the UK, musical influences, rating composers
(01:37:32) Nimrod’s family
(01:42:55) piano pedag
Previous Episode
Mark Growden: Living an Adventurous Life in Music
October 28, 2024
•101m
Mark Growden is a brilliant, curious, and expressive American multi-faceted musician. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, music educator, conductor, and visual artist. In this episode we focus on his large and varied instrument collection and he demonstrates several unusual instruments, including different jaw harps, biclycle handebars, and overtone flutes. He shares his unique journey, and how he developed new skills in response to different challenges and opportunities. I was fascinated to hear about his inspiring recent trip to Kyrgyzstan, about many of his mentors and collaborators, and his expressive approach to musicianship training. Mark has devoted his life to making music for other people and to helping other people make music for themselves, and he is an advocate for openess about respect and understanding for people with neurodivergence and mood disorders. Mark is the founder and Artistic Director of The Calling All Choir, The Chromatic Community Music Center, SF SingFest, and The SF Jaw Harp Choir. He has released several critically acclaimed albums and has toured the US extensively. He has composed original musical scores for dozens of dance and theater companies and scored several films. We are featuring music from 3 of his albums during this episode and you’ll find his discography linked below.
This episode on YouTube, and the transcript:
https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mark-growden
Mark Growden website: https://markgrowden.org
To support this series, please either buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
or shop at my merchandise store: https://www.leahroseman.com/beautiful-shirts-and-more
Newsletter sign-up: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter
Catalog of Episodes: https://www.leahroseman.com/about
You may be also interested in my episodes with other wide-ranging musicians involved in community music, instrument-making and exploring, such as with Linsey Pollak, Kavisha Mazzella, Philip Griffin, Polina Shepherd, Jesse Stewart, Sarah Jeffery, and Gary Muszynski.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:16) Kyrgyzstan, Irina Bogatyryova, jaw harp music, Kutman Sultanbekov
(08:25) overtone flutes, bicycle handlebars, selijefloyte
(14:06) jaw harp history and demo
(17:32) jaw harp technique
(21:21)clip from bicycle handlebars improvisation on Mark’s album Saint Judas
(22:02) in-blown flutes, interdental embouchure, Central Asian flutes
(28:23) Mark’s childhood, music education, bands
(31:24)Orff Schulwerk, Blues
(35:05) New Orleans, writing for choirs, leading Community Sings
(42:36) Mark’s early music education
(46:53) Driving into the Sunrise, from In Velvet with the New Orleans Heavies and Mark Growden
(50:20) other episodes you may like and different ways to support this series
(51:07) Juggling, busking, bands, digeridoo, studying art, jazz
(53:04) Kodaly method
(55:11) Mark’s approach to teaching musicianship, hearing intervals according to function
(59:11) how Mark got into singing and choral direction, claw hammer banjo, album Lose me in the sand
(01:04:26) Shady Grove from Lose me in the sand
(01:08:53) move to Portland, show for the Getty museum Edyth Eyde
(01:16:15) Aron Szilagyi jaw harp festival World Vibes Hungary
(01:17:53) bass jaw harp demo
(01:19:06) Lithuanian psaltery tuned in whole tones, Veljo Tormis Tabu, kankles psaltery
(01:22:07) video music art new projects
(01:25:47) mentors Vance George, Al
Next Episode
Yale Strom: Klezmer Ethnographer-Artist
November 12, 2024
•107m
I was honored to be able to record this wide-ranging interview with violinist Yale Strom, who is the leading ethnographer-artist of Klezmer music and history, and also has done many years of research among the Roma communities. He speaks to us about some of his many inspiring experiences during over 75 research expeditions to Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. To prepare for this episode, I read several of his books, including his 400 page The Book of Klezmer: The History, The Music, The Folklore, some of which we touched on during this conversation, and he also spoke about two of his upcoming books and other projects. Yale is an energetic and prolific creator; he’s also a filmmaker, photographer, educator, playwright and composer, and we spoke about many of his projects during this wide-ranging interview. Timestamps below.
https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/yale-strom
To support this series, please either buy me a coffee
or shop at my merchandise store
You may be also interested in these episodes: Alicia Svigals (both episodes linked) Polina Shepherd, Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, and Marilyn Lerner.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:29) Yale’s career as ethnographer-artist
(04:03) Stoliner shul concert in Detroit Victory Fellowship Baptist Church
(10:44) Oberek Palota, Klezmer music from Slovakia, from the album “Borsht with Bread, Brothers” with Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi
(14:34) ethnographic research, Wandering Feast book, Yiddish, meeting Holocaust survivors
(24:43)The Witches of Lublin
(27:26) Dire Gelt from The Devil’s Brides with Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi, vocals with Elizabeth Schwartz
(31:10) Yale Strom’s films The Last Klezmer, A Great Day in Eldridge Street, the Man from Munkasc, An American Socialist, the Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs
(35:09)Leopold Kozlowski, The Last Klezmer, Naftuli Brandwein
(39:33) Rom musicians, book Uncertain Roads, Searching for the Gypsies, connections with the Jews
(49:46) Klezmer loshn secret language and culture
(58:46) the lost Stoliner Weinstein manuscript, upcoming book
(01:07:02) other episodes with Klezmer musicians and ways to support this series
(01:07:42) Yale’s compositions and commissions
(01:17:28) Dave Tarras
(01:22:19) Influences of Klezmer and Romani on Russian school of violin playing, Oistrach, Auer
(01:29:25) Shimmering Lights album, Sara Caswell, influences of prayers on Klezmer
(01:33:53) excerpt from Bashir Mizmor, Shimmering Lights album Yale Strom’s Broken Consort, with Sara Caswell improv
(01:35:56) The Expulsion of the Jews, Sephardic communities research
(01:43:33) Schlomo books, new musical about the Chagalls, Sweet Fragrance of Life
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