★★★★☆
The attack on a British synagogue on Yom Kippur pushed me to relisten to a release of Hebrew choral music by the vocal ensemble of Southwest German Radio. The album is a mix of traditional songs in contemporary settings, alongside original works by such formidable composers as Odön Partos (d. 1977), Yehezkel Braun (d. 2014) and Zvi Avni (still with us at 98).
My first reaction was to marvel at a mixed German chorus singing Hebrew with greater precision than many Israeli ensembles, let alone synagogue choirs. Every syllable is clinically enunciated, every unexpected off-beat observed. Absolutely amazing: take a bow, conductor Yuval Weinberg.
The opening track, an account of the sacrifice of Isaac by Aaron Harlap (b. 1941), is nail-biting. Partos, known chiefly for orchestral music, contributes a shimmering Sabbath-night chant. Braun, an expert in Gregorian chant, unlocks affinities between two great faiths. His Song of Songs, a 12-minute ode, is a tonic for wounded hearts.
The youngest composer, Shiri Riseman (b.1992) presents an ethereal musical riddle, a kind of cross-choir crossword. A Yemenite table-song that I have known all my life gains new dimensions in Gil Aldema’s arrangement. There’s far more variety here than the menu led me to expect. What more can I say? Music eases the troubled soul and strengthens our will to continue. Sample the closing track: it worked for me.
