Hajdu Narrated By Waterston, Then Brahms, Schubert And Beethoven

Close Encounters with Music (CEWM) will open its 28th season with the American premiere of “Kohelet,” by the Hungarian Israeli composer Andre Hajdu. “Kohelet” is the Hebrew word for “Ecclesiastes,” the oft-quoted, enigmatic “Book of Wisdom” in the Bible.

After a recent rehearsal, Yehuda Hanani, cellist and CEWM artistic director, talked about his own take on Ecclesiastes, which is popularly attributed to King Solomon, although he did not in fact write it. “It’s really about the search for meaning in life and the futility of amassing fortune and material belongings. In ancient times, it was common for kings to believe that eternity was achievable. Look at all the world’s ancient rulers who were buried with their possessions. The text of Ecclesiastes calls these beliefs into question. It argues for living in the present.”

Hajdu’s setting is for four cellos (Hanani will play one) and a narrator—for this performance the local celebrity and award-winning actor Sam Waterston. Hanani called Waterston’s reading of the text “feisty,” a welcome contrast to the usual “autumnal, pensive, and resigned” interpretations. The cellos act as a “kind of Greek chorus, embellishing the text.”

Hajdu, who died in 2016 at age 84, studied with the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly before escaping to Paris during the 1956 Uprising. There, he continued his studies with the French composers Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen. He moved to Israel in 1966, taking residence as a teacher and composer.

Elements of “Kohelet” share some of Messiaen’s “cosmic mysticism and poetry,” Hanani said. “His music is mainly atonal, but there are hints of tonality. It takes us on a hypnotic adventure.”

Waterston collaborated with Hanani on the choice of English translation, as this marks the work’s first performance in English. “The piece was very important to Hajdu,” said Hanani. “It has been performed in French, German, Dutch, and the original Hebrew, and every time he rewrote it.”

The piece, running about 70 minutes, will be performed in its entirety, without intermission.

Future concerts in CEWM’s season include piano trios of Brahms and Schubert, an evening of French music, and a celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birth anniversary.

“Kohelet,” the opening concert of CEWM’s season, takes place on Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Tickets can be purchased on the website cewm.org or by calling 413-528-0100.