Issue 1 1, Winter 2015 Women Issue 2 2, Winter 2016 Humdrum

Tal Katsir

Musician & Writer

(1988) Tel- aviv, Israel

BA in Music from Oxford University.

Who and what makes you create?

Like many people, I feel the need to express myself. Music and writing were always the most eloquent medium for me to do so.

Walk us through your creative process. Any favorite place? Special preparation?

I sit in my soundproof study, a cup of coffee is by my side (or a pot of tea in days of rehab), and I hop from the piano to the desk, putting words and notes together, looking for the precise harmony, the right progression to portrait a textual meaning. I hand-write everything, no Finale, no recordings, just pencils and blank scores.

What inspires you?

The Middle-Ages is my main source of inspiration. It may sound a bit surreal but I feel a strong sense of connection to that period. It feels as if my tastes, imagination, personality, some say even the way I look belongs there somehow. Thinking about these old times makes me excited.

Tell us about a musical piece or a visual piece that reflects your persona.

"Lines On The Mermaid Tavern" by John Keats. I ran into it on a stormy morning in Berlin, hiding in a friend's library. The word mermaid made me start reading it. The poem is a riddle, looking for the lost traces of the Elizabethan Pub where the great poets of the Renaissance (William Shakespeare, John Donne and more..) used to have a drink and hang around. I composed it, there was a grand piano there too. It was a very magical morning.

Any favorite quote?

"In all probability the destination does not exist. It's deception or imagination..."

Ingmar Bergman

 

Hotem join date:
2015
Website:
Tal Katsir
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