I was saddened to hear that Contralto Mira Zakai passed away on 20th May 2019. Professor Zakai was an Israeli Operatic Contralto born in Jerusalem. She studied at the University of Tel Aviv at the Rubin Academy of Music. She won a Grammy for her recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with Georg Solti. In her later career, she turned to teaching, becoming a professor at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, University of Tel Aviv.
Mira Zakai, Contralto
Mira Zakai had performed all over the world with leading orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and orchestras from Chicago, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Zurich, Vienna, Montreal, Toronto, Washington. She worked with prominent conductors as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Luciano Berio, Gary Bertini, Sergiu Comissiona, Michel Corboz, Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Carlo Maria Giulini, Rafael Kubelík, Eduardo Mata, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Georg Solti, and many more [1].
Zakai was known for her wide and varied repertoire, including Handel Cantatas, Prince Orlovsky, Ulrica, and Erda. This was reflected by her many recordings, including her famous 1980 recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with Georg Solti, for which she was awarded a Grammy for Best Overall Classical Recording at the 1982 Grammy awards. She also performed at a special concert for Pope John Paul II, for whom she sang Bach's heart-rending "Erbame dich, mein Gott." She was the only soloist chosen for the concert, hand-picked by Yehudi Menuhin, who himself play the violin obligato part. A selection of her performances and recordings can be heard below.
Zakai was known for her wide and varied repertoire, including Handel Cantatas, Prince Orlovsky, Ulrica, and Erda. This was reflected by her many recordings, including her famous 1980 recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with Georg Solti, for which she was awarded a Grammy for Best Overall Classical Recording at the 1982 Grammy awards. She also performed at a special concert for Pope John Paul II, for whom she sang Bach's heart-rending "Erbame dich, mein Gott." She was the only soloist chosen for the concert, hand-picked by Yehudi Menuhin, who himself play the violin obligato part. A selection of her performances and recordings can be heard below.
| Erbame dich, mein Gott | O Röschen rot! |
| Mi palpita il cor | Sea Slumber Song |
In 1990, the Arts and Culture Council awarded Zakai a prize for the best performance of the year, in recognition of her recital of Israeli compositions, dedicated to Israel’s 40th anniversary. She also received a special award for her dedication, contribution, inspiration and performance of Israeli contemporary music from the minister of culture and education, in honour of Israel's 50th anniversary. One such piece of contemporary music performed by Zakai was the 1974 composition "October Sun" by Mark Kopytman, a reflection on the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Zakai said of Kopytman's works:
"I had to reach the very edge of my vocal limits, and the limits of my interpretive ability as well. His vocal and emotional register was like an invitation to tour new and exciting realms"[2]
When Zakai was asked why Koptyman specifically chose her to perform the piece, she said:
“A lot of things I sang at the time were the sort that deterred other singers, because they didn’t want to scream or ‘stand on their heads.’ This piece is powerfully written for the voice. I guess that’s why he came to me. I had previously sung ‘Yod-Aleph Matzevot’ (‘Eleven Tombstones’) by Leon Schidlowsky, who composed it in response to the murder of the Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics. I gave the debut performance of that, too. Schidlowsky asked me to scream and cry: ‘Go mad and be on the verge of a breakdown.’ I had sung pieces like that written by young students at the academy ... about rituals of tearing out hearts in South America and ceremonies from India, alongside Schoenberg’s ‘Pierrot lunaire’ and Pablo Neruda poems and tricky Inuit pieces. So when Kopytman came, I was already ‘shout-proof.’ I’d already screamed it all.” [3]
October Sun
Zakai was loved and respected by her colleagues and her students. Her kindness, encouragement, and support have left their influence on the musicians of tomorrow, and for that, she will always be remembered. Her musicality and authenticity will be much missed.
Mira Zakai, Contralto
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