The composer does it best

Writing songs for yourself is work; writing songs for other performers is fun. Yehuda Poliker did not specifically say this, but that's the impression from his excellent concert closing the Piano Festival and featuring songs he wrote for others.

Perhaps it's not the songwriting that is work, but everything that happens afterward: the recording, distribution and, in some cases, the storage - the entire exhausting and nerve-racking experience that shortens the life of every musician, including Poliker. The musician is spared this when he writes for someone else and frees himself of responsibility for the songs' fate. If they are a success, he will be happy; if they fail, it's not exactly his problem.

The pleasant and worry-free memories of the musical offspring that Poliker gave away over the years were apparent in the uniform remarks before nearly every song. ("Then I got a call from Arik Einstein/ Hava Alberstein/Oshik Levy/Nurit Galron/Riki Gal/ Yossi Banai/ Dana International, and he/she asked me to write a song for him/her. And this is what resulted.") Fond memories were even more apparent in his mood. Poliker knows how to highlight his optimistic side in his performances, but it's been a long time since he seemed so comfortable, relaxed and happy. He laughed a lot, even at himself ("You're great!" shouted someone from the audience. "And fat," Poliker added gleefully.

Comfortable and relaxed also describes his performance with a good band that included two other guitarists, a pianist, keyboardist and drummer. From the first moment, when he composed a lovely feeling with a Greek spirit with a stanza from the song "Ah Milat Mafteah," which he wrote for Arik Einstein, to the last song he wrote for others ("Mah Koreh Ahi" for Yardena Arazi, in the spirit of a half-empty bottle of ouzo), Poliker was sending a message: He came to have fun. Of course, there were songs of pain and contemplation and especially nice were "Azura" recorded by Yossi Banai and "Heyi Shketa" by Riki Gal and "Horvot Haahava" by Dana International. Occasionally Poliker tweaked the image of the ideal relationship between the songwriter and the singer who receives songs from him. It is not always such a simple story; at least not with Poliker. Over the years he decided to "bring home" some of the songs, as he said in the concert ("because...this is what I wanted," he said before he sang the song "Perah," and the listener is invited to guess what hides behind the pose). As expected, it was a pleasure to hear "Kimat Stav," from the same album by Gidi Gov in a much airier version than the heavy artillery arrangement by Louis Lahav.

Of "Devarim She'ratziti Lomar" Poliker said: "Not many people know that it was written for Danny Bassan," he said. Now Poliker has taken it "back home." Can you imagine Poliker's perfect version of this song being kept from us?

"Devarim She'ratziti Lomar" technically fit the evening's concept but in every respect is a song that Poliker wrote from himself. Nice as the songs are he wrote for others, they do not compare to his great songs as performed by him. It's good he let go of the concept at the end of the concert with encores from his regular repertoire. "Pahot Aval Koev," "Panim Mul Panim," "Be-kapayim" and "Halon Leyam Hatikhon" were a perfect ending to a fabulous concert.

Yehuda Poliker, final concert of the Piano Festival. Beit Lessin Theater, Tel Aviv, November 15.