Dr. Myrna Herzog, Musical Director
PHOENIX is a multi-faceted ensemble specializing in ancient music. The band, based in Israel, uses various groups of period instruments to perform music written between the years 1200-1830 in the instrumental shades of each time and place. The instrumental ensemble is also joined by solo vocalists, choirs, actors and directors. The ensemble was founded in 1998 by viola player Myrna Herzog, who has been the musical director and conductor since its inception.
The policy of the ensemble was and still is to present unconventional repertoire, with plenty of premieres, including directing operas such as the 13th-century Play of Daniel, and the Baroque opera La púrpura de la rosa (by Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco), Theatrical Cantatas by Cristofaro Caresana, the Zapoteca Mass from the Mexican Baroque, and most recently, the extraordinary oratorios by Michelangelo Falvetti, the Universal Flood and Nabucco. Performing Nabucco at the Abu Ghosh Festival was a world premiere of the work in its entirety.
The Phoenix also performed an Israeli premiere with periodic instruments of important works such as the Art of Fugue and Musical Offering by Bach, chamber music by Rameau, and Mozart's flute quartets. The repertoire also includes music and new arrangements written for ancient instruments.
The ensemble continues to perform programs of European music from the Baroque, Classical and Early Romantic periods.
In 2019, the ensemble performed an Israeli premiere of The Pirates, a comedic opera in three acts by Stephen Storace (one of the most important British composers of the 18th century) with an English libretto by James Cobb.
During its twenty years of activity, the ensemble has recorded six CDs for various companies. The ensemble has participated in all the important music festivals in Israel. It has performed with the Beer Sheva Sinfonietta and is often a guest of the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra. In February 2011, the ensemble was selected from more than 200 ensembles, to perform at the Winter Festival in Sarajevo, and in 2014, it performed in Buenos Aires.
