On June 6, 2001, Michael Manning wrote in the Boston Globe,

"The Zamir Chorale of Boston has long taken seriously the mission to air the unheard." And one year later, June 11, 2002, Richard Dyer

wrote in the Globe, "Since 1969 Joshua Jacobson and the Zamir Chorale have been exploring the Jewish musical heritage for a large and loyal public. ... [M]ore often than not the Zamir Chorale performs works that music lovers would be unlikely to hear anywhere else."

This year our audiences will again have the opportunity to hear music that they won't hear anywhere else. On November 17, we will present "Divine Majesty: A Glorious Revival of 19th-Century Synagogue Music." This music is awesome, in the very real sense of awe-inspiring. Our program will include the ceremonial music for the Torah service as interpreted by the great 19th-century masters of synagogue music Louis Lewandowski, Salomon Sulzer, and Samuel Naumbourg. It's music of a splendid grandeur that we hardly hear anymore in the synagogue. And, by the way, it's extraordinarily beautiful. Generously underwritten by an anonymous donor in memory of Mary Wolfman Epstein and Cantor Barney Mould, the program will be augmented with slides and contextualizing narration.

 

Zamir's Andrews Sisters, from left: Debbie West, Susan Rubin, Deborah Melkin

For many of us, Yiddish music makes us think of the sentimental folk songs of our grandparents' generation. And there are some great ones: humorous songs like "Der Rebbe Elimelekh," tender love songs such as "Papir Iz Dokh Vais," and rousing solidarity songs such as "Alle Brider." Out of the Yiddish theater came hundreds of beautiful songs, some of which even crossed over into the all-American hit parade. "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" was the number-one song in America in 1937, but it started out as a song in Sholom Secunda's 1932 musical play, Men Ken Lebn Nor Men Lost Nisht. And Joan Baez made "Dona Dona" famous in her 1960 eponymous album, but it originated in Secunda's 1940 Yiddish musical, Esterke. And there are "classical" settings of Yiddish texts, including the art songs of Lazar Weiner, the choral works of Leo Low and Simon Sargon, and the modernist creations of David Lang. You'll hear all that and more at our concert December 24 at Temple Emanuel in Newton. We're calling it "A Sho In Gan Eden" (An Hour in Paradise).

 

One of my favorite composers passed

Josh Jacobson with Yehezkel Braun

away just over a year ago. Yehezkel Braun was born in Breslau, Germany, in 1922 and was brought to the land of Israel when he was just two years old. The soundscape of the Eastern Mediterranean served as Braun's inspiration for many hundreds of inspiring compositions: arrangements of traditional Jewish melodies; symphonies; chamber music; scores for film, television, and theater; and songs, both classical and popular. For his efforts, in 2001, Braun was awarded his country's highest honor, the Israel Prize. Zamir has been singing Braun's music since 1973, when we were on tour in Israel and learned his beautiful setting of the Song of Songs, Chapter 3.

 

I first got to know Yehezkel in 1982. I was writing my doctoral thesis, in part, about his music, and he consented to be interviewed. Yehezkel was teaching at Brandeis University that year. I soon discovered that this man was as sweet as his music. 

That year, Zamir was privileged to be part of a concert of Yehezkel's music at Brandeis University. I still remember conducting a charming piece with the unlikely title of "The Rules for Blowing the Shofar." Since then we have performed one or more of Yehezkel's wonderful choral pieces nearly every season, including many pieces that he composed for us. On June 5, 2016 (and repeated on June 6), we will return to Brandeis to perform a tribute concert dedicated to the sweet music of this sweet man.

We hope you will join us at these and many other concerts this season to hear programs that you would be unlikely to hear anywhere else.