Esther Ofarim

Esther Ofarim (Hebrew אסתר עופרים, native Esther Zaied; born 13 June 1941 in Safed, Galilee ) is an Israeli actress and singer.

Ofarim initially joined on as a solo artist, singing in English, Hebrew, German, French, Ladino and in various European Jewish dialects. After her marriage in 1961 with the well-known as Abi Ofarim Abraham imperial city she made with him the singing duo Esther & Abi Ofarim the acquired mainly in 1968 with the international hit Cinderella Rockefella awareness. Esther Ofarim 1963 represented the Euro Vision Song Contest Switzerland and took second place.

Work

In 1960 Ofarim received her first film role as Signorina Hirschberg in the U.S. feature film Exodus, and was first in the credits as Esther imperial city. Even Abraham imperial city had one, though unnamed, role in the Oscar-winning film in which international stars like Paul Newman and Eva Maria Saint participated.

In 1961 she married Abraham Imperial City ( Artist name: Abi Ofarim ), which they in 1959 in " Hebrew Theatre Club " - had met - the Israeli National Theater, were committed to the Abi as a dancer and choreographer and Esther as a singer. Many fans saw in Esther & Abi Ofarim " the singing duo of the 1960s ".

In 1963 Esther Ofarim for Switzerland at the Euro Vision Song Contest in London and was part and with T'en vas pas ( " not go away, " with German titles as melody one night published) with only two points behind the winning song from Denmark, often under controversial circumstances prestigious second place. This was the real beginning of her singing career in Europe. Esther sang and played guitar Abi, Abi Ofarim which also served as producer for both of them. Also in 1963, she sang the song Come, lie ' Your arm around me by Peter Thomas and Günther Schwenn, which previously in the film The Endless Night (1963 ) was used, there but with a different singer. A great tour of Germany led the Ofarim in 1965 with 45 concerts in 32 cities. They won the 1966 French Grand Prix International du Disque de l' Académie Charles Cros and later them the Edison Award (the " Oscar" of the European music industry, awarded in Amsterdam) was awarded in the same year. Esther traveled to the U.S. for a guest appearance in the famous TV show Smothers Brothers.

The song Morning of My Life, written by the Bee Gees, 1967 's biggest hit of the duo in Germany. 1968 achieved the Ofarim their international breakthrough with Cinderella Rockefella. The couple received five gold records in just four years. This was followed by concerts in New York and London, and frequent television appearances. Private, however, the relationship between the two began to be seen kriseln. Separation was carried out immediately after the world tour in May 1969. Separation Esther Ofarim began her solo singing career continued. Abi Ofarim from then on worked primarily as a music producer.

Esther Ofarim tried a few times as an actress. In 1963 she played at the side of Axel von Ambesser in the German feature film It was my pleasure (director Imo Moszkowicz ) their only lead. In 1969 they had a singer Miriam in the three-part Herbert Reinecker - TV thriller 11 clock 20 adjacent Joachim Fuchsberger and Götz George a small role.

End of the 1970s it became a little quieter around them. In 1972, Esther Ofarim solo LP First Album, on which it claimed, among other songs in Hebrew, Ladino, French and German and was a great success. With her ​​partner Philipp von Sell she moved to New York, where their son came to the world. 1982 Esther sang songs by Eberhard Schoener on the LP Complicated Ladies with texts by Wolf Wondratschek and Ulf Miehe. In the same year in Israel Album Esther Ofarim appeared - Hebrew 1982 album with newly recorded old Israeli songs; also they gave a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York.

A highly successful theater performance Esther Ofarim graduated in 1984 alongside Ulrich Tukur, Michael Degen and Otto Tausig in the German premiere of the play by Joshua Sobol ghetto staged by Peter Zadek at the Freie Volksbühne Berlin and the Hamburg Schauspielhaus. In the following period could be heard, although always of concerts in Israel, in Germany but it was quiet around them. Esther Ofarim 1987 came back with her son in New York and lives since then in Hamburg Grindelwald area near the University ( Rother tree).

1997 Ralph Siegel offered her time to the song, which was written by him as a sign of reconciliation between Jews and Germans. You should therefore compete in the preliminary round for the German Euro Vision Song Contest, which eventually failed due to their high salary demands, and that their participation was omitted. Instead, Bianca Shomburg sang the song so won the preliminary round and finished 18th at the ESC.

After almost 15 years break Ofarim occurred in 1998 for the first time in Hamburg in the intimate theater with a recital on. Before that there had been a 1993 appearance at an AIDS Gala in Berlin. The following thereafter almost regular concerts in Hamburg in the intimate theater at the end of 2003 at the St. Pauli Theater were mostly almost sold out and received consistently good reviews. 2004 was followed by appearances in Dessau ( Kurt Weill Festival ) and Dortmund.

Also in 2003, Esther Ofarim began their first tour in more than 20 years. Accompanied by the Israeli pianist and composer Yoni Right on the piano and the violinist Mikhail Paweletz she appeared with a new repertoire of Jewish folk songs, Kurt Weill and Beatles songs as well as American evergreens in Hamburg and Frankfurt.

In April and May 2005, she went on a small tour titled A journey through centuries and continents, while she performed in Dresden at the Semperoper in Munich in the Prince Regent Theatre, in Leonberg and Bochum. In October 2007, she gave a concert in the theater house in Stuttgart.

On April 21, 2012, she was with her band ( Yoni Rechter, Mikhail Paweletz and Micah Kaplan on bass ) a concert in Düsseldorf's Savoy Theatre.

Awards

Discography (selection)

Esther Ofarim:

  • Israeli Songs ( 1961) - LP: Capitol (USA)
  • Esther Ofarim (1965 ) - LP: Philips ( FRA )
  • Is it Really Me ( 1965) - LP: Philips
  • Esther in Kinderland (1967 ) - LP: Philips
  • Esther Ofarim (1969 ) - LP: Philips
  • First Album (1972 ) - LP: Listen to, CD 1989
  • Esther Ofarim (1972 ) - LP: Electrola
  • Live in Tel -Aviv (1973 ) - LP: Hed Arzi -
  • Complicated Ladies ( 1982) - LP
  • Esther (1989 ) - LP
  • Back on Stage (2005 ) - CD
  • In New York ( with Bobby Scott and his Orchestra ) - CD 2006 ( new edition of: Is it Really Me ( 1965) )
  • In London (produced by Bob Johnston ) - CD and LP 2009 (new edition of: Esther Ofarim with an unpublished song (1972). )
  • I'll See You in My Dreams (live 2009) - CD
  • Le Chant Des Chants (2011 ) - CD: Bear Family

Esther & Abi Ofarim:

  • Songs of the World ( 1964) - LP: Philips
  • New Songs of the World ( 1965) - LP: Philips
  • That's Our Song (1965 ) - LP: Philips ( USA Edition by: New songs in the world )
  • Melody of a Night (1965 ) - LP: Philips
  • The new Esther & Abi Ofarim Album ( 1966) - LP: Philips
  • Sing! (1966 ) - LP: Philips ( USA Edition by: Esther & Abi Ofarim The new album )
  • One more dance (1966 ) - LP: Philips
  • 2 in 3 (1967 ) - LP: Philips
  • Free Just Like the Wind (1967 ) - LP: Philips (. U.S. edition of: 2 3 4 unveröfentl pieces )
  • Up to Date (1968 ) - LP: Philips
  • Ofarim Concert Live 1969 (1969) - LP: Philips

Compilations ( selection)

Esther & Abi Ofarim:

  • With their most beautiful songs (1965 ) - LP: Philips ( German edition for book club )
  • New songs and songs (1966 ) - LP: Philips ( German edition for book club )
  • New songs and songs from around the world (1966 ) - LP: Philips (edition for German record club)
  • Look At Me (1968 ) - LP: Philips (edition for German record club)
  • Cinderella rockefella (1968 ) - LP: Philips (F)

Esther Ofarim:

  • Melody of a Night (2003 ) - CD Bear Family (all great successes, pictures, biography)
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