L ifestyles /C ulture
‘Music of Faith’ to Feature Jewish Themes
MUSIC JED WEISBERGER | JE STAFF
JEREMY ROTHMAN, The
Philadelphia Orchestra’s vice
president of artistic planning,
has been involved with Jewish
music since his Bar Mitzvah at
Beth Sholom Congregation in
Elkins Park.

Rothman, who has been with
the Orchestra since September
2008, is planning the “Music of
Faith” concert, scheduled for
Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. Jan.

25 at Verizon Hall. He admits
he might be more familiar with
one piece than the other on the
two-piece program.

The concert will feature
Jewish composer Leonard
Bernstein’s Symphony No.

3 “Kaddish,” based on the
mourner’s prayer recited in
synagogues, and Catholic com-
poser Gioachino Rossini’s ren-
dition of “Stabat Mater,” based
on the traditional hymn of the
same name.

“I certainly am more familiar
with Jewish music better than I
do Catholic liturgy,” Rothman
said. “We are really looking for-
ward to this concert, and feel
the audiences will really enjoy
two pieces performed on the
same program that are rarely
performed themselves.”
Rothman, an Abington
native who worked with
the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra for more than eight
years before returning to
Philadelphia, is responsible for
developing the Orchestra’s var-
ious programs.

He works closely with both
Music Director Yannick Nézet-
Séguin and President and CEO
Matías Tarnopolsky in arrang-
ing the Orchestra’s schedule.

“My role is to work with
both Yannick and Matias to
bring the best of our orches-
tra to our audience,” Rothman
said. “With ‘Music of Faith,’ we
feel we have a timely message
that echoes a need for spiritual
20 JANUARY 24, 2019
harmony. This is a program
that includes voices. Yannick
values voices and wanted to do
a program that featured them.

We feel we have it with these
two pieces.”
Both selections are rather
long. Bernstein’s runs about
35 minutes, while Rossini’s is
45-50 minutes. The orchestra
has featured Bernstein in his
birth centenary, and it was
decided Rossini’s piece is a per-
fect complement.

“[This is] a program which is
very much in the vein of what I
think personally about spiritu-
ality — the work of a Catholic
composer, Rossini’s ‘Stabat
Mater,’ and a Jewish composer,
Leonard Bernstein, his Third
Symphony, ‘Kaddish,’” Nézet-
Séguin said.

“These are two very different
choral works, from different
faiths, but combined together
they offer a message of wel-
coming and living all together
through music. The large vocal
forces and Bernstein’s inimi-
table writing create a power-
ful impact on listeners. … No
less moving is Rossini’s ‘Stabat
Mater,’ rarely performed in
Philadelphia. Rossini had
retired from writing operas
when he composed this set-
ting of a traditional Catholic
hymn. With its deeply felt
music, it’s a worthy pairing for
the ‘Kaddish.’”
Bernstein wrote “Kaddish”
in 1963 as a tribute to President
John F. Kennedy following his
assassination in Dallas. It is
written for a large orchestra,
but never mentions the word
death. It is performed with a
narrator, a full choir, a boys’
choir and a soprano soloist.

It has three movements:
The Philadelphia Orchestra will
feature Bernstein’s Symphony No.

3 “Kaddish” as part of its Music of
Faith concert Thursday evening and
Friday afternoon.

Jeremy Rothman
Photos by Jessica Griffin
The narrator then repeats
the final words of the
prayer and questions why
the father would allow such
disorder in mankind’s lives
with the power to change it.

• Din Torah–Kaddish 2, a
poignant part of the sym-
phony, with the narrator
featuring a confrontation
with the father, who never
replies. It ends with the nar-
rator singing a lullaby to the
father to rock him to sleep.

• Scherzo–Kaddish 3–Finale.

Fugue-Tutti — The father
has fallen asleep and the nar-
rator paints a dream, which
includes the Burning Bush,
the father and mankind,
with a boys’ choir singing
the opening words of the
Kaddish in Hebrew, come to
a new accommodation, but
still need to work together.

• Invocation–Kaddish 1, in
which the narrator —
Charlotte Blake Alston for
this concert — states she
The “Stabat Mater” is a
wants to pray the Kaddish. 13th-century Christian hymn
A choir soon joins in and to Mary, describing her suffer-
sings the Aramaic words. ing as Jesus’ mother during his
JEWISH EXPONENT
crucifixion. It has 20 verses.

Rossini’s “Stabat Mater,” fin-
ished in 1841, is divided into
10 movements.

Soloists for “Music of Faith”
include soprano Nadine Sierra,
mezzo-soprano Elizabeth
DeShong, tenor John Osborn
and bass Krzysztof Baczyk.

Both the Philadelphia
Symphonic Choir, under the
direction of Joe Miller, and
Philadelphia Boys’ Choir,
under the direction of Jeff
Smith, will perform. l
jweisberger@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0737
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM