About the creation

The symphonic poem "A Girl Named Limonad" (1977) was inspired by a work of the Lebanese poet Shawqi Abi-Shaqra. His poetry is outspoken in content and language and is pervaded by surrealistic symbols which stem from the conflict in his soul - for he is a traditional son of the village and a man of the modern age at one and the same time. The composition may be divided into 4 sections which are played without a break: "Pastorale", "Serenade", "misterioso" and "Heroic Funeral". During the performance of the music, the listener becomes aware of the changing picture, according to the interpretation which the composer gave to the poem. The work consists of metamorphoses of several musical themes of an oriental folkloric flavour. To begin with, we are presented with a pastoral scene and the appearance of the girl. Her thoughts run on. She recalls pictures of city life which she has found distasteful - the youth and their cat-calls, the noise of traffic and of industry. The serenade depicts the meeting of the lovers. War breaks out. The surrealistic lover appears, characterised by the cor anglais. The girl dies. A lament is heard in the manned of the taqsim, resembling an oriental prelude, played on the viola. The symphonic poem ends with an heroic funeral march in memory of the girl. The work was first performed on the 28th of January 1979, by the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Shalom Ronly-Riklis.