Arts & Entertainment
Greater Middletown Chorale Invites all to Jewish Choral Music Fest
Music from around the world, from ancient chants to lively Klezmer and dance, are part of the Middletown Chorale's eclectic program on the eve of Hanukkah.
The Greater Middletown Chorale, under the direction of Joseph D’Eugenio, is pleased to present a singular concert experience this fall, Zimriyah: A Festival of Jewish Choral Music.
No need to be Jewish to enjoy this eclectic program of whimsical and mystical melodies drawn from a repertoire that spans several centuries.
Consider the music:
- A selection of Jewish folk songs including two sung in the dying Ladino language of the Sephardic Jews of Western Europe
- The Jerusalem of Gold, a song which became the battle cry of Israeli troops at the time of the Six Day War of 1967
- Songs from the Liturgy presented by the Chamber Choir featuring the rarely heard early Baroque polyphonic music ofItalian-Jewish composer Salamone Rossi, and a lovely rendition of the familiar Oseh Shalom
- Songs of the Yiddish theatre made famous by the incomparable Molly Picon, the “Queen of the Yiddish Musical”
- Jewish wedding songs including the touching love duet Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening of Roses) and a setting of the Kiddush prayer by Kurt Weill, penned in his inimitable style.
Acclaimed musicologist of Jewish music, Velvel Pasternak, wrote in his book The Jewish Music Companion:
“The importance of music in the life of the Jewish people is found almost at the beginning of Genesis … Music was viewed as a necessity in everyday life, as a beautifying and enriching complement of human existence.”
The concert is Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. or Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church in Portland. Purchase tickets through The Greater Middletown Chorale.
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