Amos Elkana
Amos Elkana is an American composer.
Amos Elkana was born in Boston in 1967 but grew up in Jerusalem.
He studied Jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music. He then went on to Bard College, where he earned an MFA in electronic music and sound.
Over the years, Elkana has received numerous awards for his compositions, among them are the Israeli Prime Minister’s Prize for Music Composition, ACUM golden feather award and the Rozenblum Prize for excellence in the arts.
Elkana composes concert music for orchestras, ensembles and individual performers as well as for dance, theatre and film. His works have been performed and recorded by ensembles and musicians from all over the world. He also released several highly acclaimed albums of his music.
Elkana is also an active performer. He regularly participates in concerts and performances as an electric guitar player and as an electronic music producer.
More information here: www.amoselkana.com
The four enemies
According to Don Juan (Carlos Castaneda), A man of knowledge is one who has followed truthfully the hardships of learning, a man who has, without rushing or without faltering, gone as far as he can in unraveling the secrets of power and knowledge. To become a man of knowledge one must challenge and defeat his four natural enemies. The four natural enemies are: Fear, Clarity, Power and Old age. Each of the 4 movements of this piece is inspired by an enemy in the order that Don Juan talks about. However, this is not program music. One can listen without knowing what inspired me in my writing and still, hopefully, enjoy the music and take something out of it.
The piece is an homage to Carlos Castaneda. It was written for and dedicated to Gilad Harel.