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Cantorial Notes
"Middle East Side Story"...A Shpiel to Remember
Purim time is here relatively “early” this year! And on February 28 at 7:00 PM, we will again feature congregants starring in our annual shpiel. This year’s show, “Middle East Side Story,” will showcase the wonderful music of Leonard Bernstein (with a few changes to the lyrics).Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was one of the giants of classical and popular music in the last century. His talents as a conductor and composer were evident even at a very young age. He brought a fresh, very American approach to his compositions, using jazz harmonies and modern tonalities to create a sound that was uniquely his. His musical voice captured the sophistication of Americans throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Though his best-known composition may be “West Side Story,” he was a prolific composer of orchestral, chamber and choral works. He never composed a traditional Friday night service, but he did compose a haunting Hashkiveinu (1945) for Cantor David Putterman of the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, as well as the dramatic “Chichester Psalms” (1965) which captures the energy and the beauty of the Hebrew word. Along with his “Symphony No. 3 (Kaddish)” (1965), “Chichester Psalms” was his most overtly Jewish work of art. They may have been the answer to a question he once posed, “What are the Jewish roots I long for?”
If you long for Jewish roots as well and would love to hear some of Bernstein’s great tunes, come celebrate Purim with us this month!
Purim Shpiel Participants:
Jane Eisenstat
Bruce Fein
Bruce Greene
Dave Harris
Alan Janoff
Merle Kalishman
Vicki Kalmus
Evi Meinhardt
Jessica Mester
Ron Meyers
Wayne Polay
Marilyn Rosenbaum
David Wien
