Friday June 20th, 2008 17 Sivan 5768
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New Jewish Liturgical Music concert was a treat
If you are a lover of Jewish music and you were not among the 300 or so who
attended the Third International Festival of New Jewish Liturgical Music at
Cardinal Stritch University on June 15, you missed a real treat.
Rabbi Shawn Zevit sings and plays the shruti at the Shalshelet concert on
June 15. Photo by Leon Cohen.
I think this was the best Jewish liturgical music concert I have heard here
since the Cantors Assembly came to town in 1994 to help celebrate Milwaukee
JewryÕs 150th anniversary.
Of the 19 new compositions presented, 16 are works I would like to hear
again. It is only personal quirk that leads me to mention the following few of
them:
¥ ÒOzi Ve-Zimrat YahÓ by Israeli composer/singer/guitarist Orit
Perlman. This was a deliciously Sephardic-sounding setting of part of Psalm
118, with a catchy rhythm that made you want to move. Perlman herself performed
it with Hazzan Ramon Tasat also on guitar and voice, and the combination melted
in oneÕs ears.
¥ ÒGam Zeh LÕTovahÓ by Jhos Singer. This maggid from the San
Francisco area chose a somewhat harrowing text. It is a phrase from the Talmud
(TaÕanit 21b), meaning, ÒThis too is for the goodÓ and was apparently the motto
of Rabbi Nahum, a Job-like sufferer.
But Singer made the setting for the wedding of two friends of his who
appeared to be totally incompatible; they have been married now for 18 years. I
donÕt know whether this joyous song helped with the marriage; but with its
chanting tune, Middle East flavor and slow-accelerate to fast-return to slow
structure, it is made for singing by congregations or campers.
¥ ÒVe-ShamruÓ by Rabbi Shawn Zevit. This wasnÕt just a musical
highlight; this was the spiritual highlight of the evening.
Zevit is a Philadelphia-based rabbi and teacher. He accompanied himself on
a shruti, an accordion-like instrument from India that produces a drone; over
it, he sent the words of Exodus 31:16-17 flying in an exultant chant that made
time stand still.
¥ ÒDaÓ by Cantor Terry S. Horowit. The Shalshelet Festival Choir was
very fine throughout the program, whether conducted by MilwaukeeÕs own Joyce
Altman or by Tasat, whether featured in a choral piece or accompanying a solo
singer.
But the group really sparkled in this composition for chorus. Horowit,
based in Albany, N.Y., mixed passages from the Talmud and Isaiah and set them
with tricky rhythms and intricate imitative counterpoint; and the choir made
the performance sound easy.
¥ ÒMagein AvotÓ by Jeremy Stein, a cantorial student at the Jewish
Theological Seminary. So why shouldnÕt a setting of part of the Friday evening
liturgy sound a bit like the song ÒSixteen TonsÓ? And why shouldnÕt a quintet
of men make one smile and even chuckle as they sing about how the Sabbath is
Òoverflowing with delightÓ?
As one can gather even from this sample, the composers and compositions
spanned an amazing range of styles — Sephardic and klezmer, chant and
lieder, soft rock and gospel. Our community contains a wealth of musical
creativity that deserves to be more widely known.
All praise to Shalshelet: The Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music
for its efforts in uncovering and encouraging these efforts and presenting them
in these festivals. And all thanks to the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning
for bringing this event to town. If this festival ever returns here, I will
plan to be there.
For more information about these organizations, visit www.shalshelet.org and www.wsjl.org
.