The word ‘tsunami’ is of Japanese origin. When you look it up in a dictionary you will find that it means ‘a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption’. A megatsunami is the superlative of this awesome expressionof power that nature can create and has catastrophic consequences. When Carl Wittrock completed this composition not many such big earth movements had occurred but since then we have become all too familiar with the disastrousconsequences which a tsunami may have. On the 26th of December 2004 a heavy seaquake took place near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tidal waves 10 meters in height ravaged the coastal regions of many countries for miles around. The tsunamitook the lives of thousands of people and destroyed many villages and towns. There are more areas which run the risk of being struck by a tsunami such as the island of La Palma one of the Canary Islands. This island is based on oceaniccrust at a fracture zone and as such is one of nature’s time bombs. The consequences of a natural calamity like a megatsunami are immense. In the case of La Palma the tidal wave will move in the direction of South America where it may reach 50km inland destroying everything on its way. In his composition Wittrock describes an ordinary day which will have an unexpected ending. Right from the beginning there seems to be something in the air the music creating an oppressiveatmosphere of impending disaster. Themes are interrupted broken off suddenly followed by silence suggesting the calm before the storm. Suddenly a short climax (glissandi in the trombone part) indicates the seaquake and the megatsunami isa fact. Hereafter follows a turbulent passage symbolising the huge rolling waves. After nature’s force has spent itself resignation sets in and the composition ends with a majestic ode to nature.

The musical The Sound of Music represents the last collaborations between the successful duo Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the story about the Austrian Von Trapp family that immigrated to the United States of America. Generations have fallen in love with the musical made particularily famous through its subsequent cinematic release. Naohiro Iwai combines all the musical’s highlights: Do-Re-Mi The Lonely Goatherd So Long Farewell Edelweiss and Climb Ev’ry Mountain.

The Yiddish word ‘Klezmer’ has been derived from the Old Hebrew words ‘Kley’ (tool instrument) and ‘Zemer’ (song singing making music).Klezmer is the traditional music of Jews from Eastern Europe.Yiddish musicians (Klezmorim) were regularly invited to come and play at Yiddish weddings as well as several other Jewish celebrations and festive occasions. Despite its close connection with traditional Eastern European folk music Klezmer music has succeeded in preserving its distinctive Jewish character. ‘Klezmer Discovery’ is a voyage of discovery through the richly varied music of the Jewish people from Eastern Europe.The introduction consists of a number of motives from differenttraditional melodies (a Mitzve Tenzel and L’cha Dodi) followed by a melody in 3/8th time (Kandel’s Hora). This dance melody originally came from Bessarabia (present-day Moldavia) and was taken along to America by Jewish musicians round 1900. Subsequently ‘Der Terk in Amerika’ a composition by famous clarinet player Naftule Brandwein can be heard. A number of fast cheerful dance melodies (bulgars) form the finale of ‘Klezmer Discovery’ (Lebedyk un Freylekh Lomir sich iberbetn and Sherele).