The two musicians enjoy a longstanding association – they have performed together in Israel many times. At the “Vilnius Jazz” the duo presents a new panorama of their compositions. In this programme Arkady Gotesman will try his hand with new instruments.

Born in Turkey and raised in Israel, Albert Beger’s musical sensibilities were informed from a young age by the vast cultural melting pot that surrounded him. The deeply diverse and eclectic range of sounds he heard offered a rich musical landscape upon which to draw continuing inspiration.

Berger started as a flute player and ‘discovered’ saxophone only at the age 25. He studied Composition and Performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While in the US, he got fascinated with free jazz, and music of Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor and Art Ensemble of Chicago. Later he furthered his education at the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem.

He currently holds teaching positions at the Rubin Academy and Haifa University and heads the Instrument and Performance Department at Muzik – School of Creation and Production in Tel Aviv.

Since launching his professional career in 1991 the saxophonist has recorded nine albums of original compositions for various Israeli labels. His music embraces an array of styles – bebop, hard bop and free jazz, contemporary classical and ethnic music, progressive rock and electronic music, lyricism and passion, experiments and traditions.

The long list of musicians with whom he has traded riffs both on stage and in the studio include Israeli and foreign master instrumentalists such as William Parker and Hamid Drake; Gerry Hemingway, Joelle Leandre, John Bostock, Harold Rubin, Hagi Fershtman, James Newton, Roman Kontzman, EricuShapira, Asaf Sirkis.

Berger is the recipient of the Landau Award for Performing Arts (2005) and Israel’s highest honour for musicians, the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Composers (2009).

Arkady Gotesman is one of the most resourceful Lithuanian percussionists. In addition to playing jazz, he performs contemporary academic music, writes scenarios for performances and installations, composes, records and performs music for theatre, performs as a silent film taper, collaborates with dancers.

Gotesman’s percussion can be heard in Oskaras Koršunovas’ theatre productions, and Anatolijus Šenderovas’ ballet Desdemona, choreographer Loreta Juodkaitė’s production To Disobey. Together with actress Dalia Michelevičiūtė he designed a theatre project Station in City N after Wislawa Szymborska’s poetry.

Recently, the percussionist has been preoccupied with theatrical vocabulary. In 2010, Gotesman invited to his first one-man show The Story of God’s Man. This year together with visual artists Linas Liandzbergis and Artūras Valiauga he presented new project Percussion Postcards. Yet different kind of theatre can be found in his jazz and Yiddish music quartet in which he teams up with singer Rafailas Karpis, pianist Darius Mažintas and saxophonist Petras Vyšniauskas.

Inspired by J. Brodsky’s poems the percussionist recorded solo album J. Brodsky in memoriam; his music is also featured on a CD of Rolandas Rastauskas’ poems.

Gotesman made his jazz debut in the ‘80s, later collaborated with exponents of various trends including Roland Dahinden, Vladimir Volkov, Vyacheslav Gaivoronsky, Arkady Shikloper, Julian Joseph, John Zorn, David Geringas, Jack Siron, Frank London, Anthony Coleman, Charles Gayle and Tim Daisy.

For many years the percussionist has been working with Petras Vyšniauskas, Vyacheslav Ganelin and Liudas Mockūnas. He also collaborates with Dainius Pulauskas Group, Vilnius Jazz Orchestra and ACCOsax Freeminded trio; has presented original projects with vocalist Andrė Pabarčiūtė. Gotesman is a founder and member of Vilnius Klezmer Orchestra, organises the Klezmer Music Festival.