Israeli composer, conductor and teacher Noam Sheriff died on 25th August. He was 83.
As a composer Sheriff fused elements of Eastern and Western music in a broadly atonal style. He first achieved recognition with his orchestral work Akdamot le’moed (1957), which was chosen to inaugurate Tel Aviv’s Frederic R. Mann Auditorium. Subsequent landmark works include the trio of vocal works Mechaye Hamethim (1985), Sephardic Passion (1992, see video, below) and Psalms of Jerusalem (1995); the orchestral works La Folia Variations (1984) and Akeda (1997); the opera Golem (2008); concertos for violin (1986) and piano (1994); and three string quartets.
Sheriff also had a distinguished career as a conductor. He was music director of the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra from 1972–82, of the Israel Symphony Orchestra from 1989–95 and, since 2002, of the Israel Chamber Orchestra.
As an educator he taught at the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Musikhochschule in Cologne and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
In 1991 he won the the Acum Prize for his life’s work, in 2003 the EMET Prize, for music. The citation for the Israel Prize, which he was awarded in 2011, is also a fitting eulogy for this exceptional musician:
At the pinnacle of Israeli music, Sheriff’s work expresses prolific talent and remarkable imagination. His work elevates Israel and leaves a lasting imprint on its musical culture.