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



L ifestyles /C ulture
What to Do with All That Beer
F O OD
I DON’T KNOW about you,
but we hosted a lot of gather-
ings over the last two months,
both large and small. As
a result, we have a bunch of
beer lying around that we will
never drink.

Normally, I donate excess
food to appropriate shelters
and hunger relief organiza-
tions, but beer does not fit with
that mission. And I hate waste.

So I consulted my friend,
beer expert Ray Swerdlow, who
was profiled in November. He
gave me a few food-friendly
recipes that have resulted in
delicious dishes — and good
use of my excess brews.

IPA TANDOORI CHICKEN
WINGS (MEAT)
Makes 16 wings
This recipe is adapted to
kosher diners by swapping out
traditionally used yogurt for
mayonnaise. The mayo deliv-
ers the creamy tanginess that
the dish requires without mix-
ing dairy with meat. Many
preparations of chicken wings
require frying; this one has all
the work done in the oven, so
that’s a bonus for the cook.

16 chicken wings
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup India pale ale
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons garam masala
spice blend
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons canola or
vegetable oil
Cut a few slits in each of
the wings and place them in a
large zip-close bag. In a medi-
um-sized bowl, mix all the
remaining ingredients except
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM the oil and pour them into the
bag with the chicken.

Shake the bag to ensure
that the wings are thoroughly
coated and the marinade is
evenly distributed.

Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Heat your oven to 425
degrees. Remove the wings
from the bag and drain them
in a colander.

Line a rimmed baking sheet
with parchment and brush the
parchment with oil.

Place the wings on a baking
sheet and bake for 20 min-
utes. Turn the wings over;
return them to the oven and
bake for another 20-25 min-
utes until golden brown and
cooked through. Serve with
lime wedges, chopped cilantro
and a glass of India pale ale.

PORTER CHEESE SOUP
(DAIRY) Serves four
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Add the vegetable stock, mus-
tard and Worcestershire sauce,
and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the cream, then add the
cheese, ¼ cup at a time, allow-
ing each portion to melt before
adding more. This ensures a
smooth, creamy texture.

Taste for seasonings; it may
need salt and pepper.

BROWN ALE CHOCOLATE
CHERRY NUT BREAD
(DAIRY) This soup is ideal for a cold Makes one loaf
winter day — serve it for lunch
or dinner with a simple green
This bread is a heavenly
salad and some crusty bread. blend of chocolate, nuts and
And, of course, a glass of porter. dried cherries. It is lovely with
a cup of tea in the afternoon,
4 tablespoons butter
½ onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
sauce 1 cup porter
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
cheese Salt and pepper to taste
with coffee for a somewhat
decadent breakfast, or any time
you crave something delicious.

It is not overly sweet, but
it could certainly be served
for dessert, especially topped
with vanilla ice cream or fresh
whipped cream.

½ cup dried cherries
1 bottle brown ale
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking
powder 1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ cup dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter,
melted, plus more to coat
top of bread when done
Heat your oven to 350
degrees. Grease a standard-size
loaf pan.

In a small bowl, soak the
cherries in ale for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl,
mix the flour, baking powder,
salt and sugar.

Add the cherries and beer,
then add the chocolate chips
and melted butter.

Pour the mixture into a
prepared pan and bake for 50
minutes until done (tooth-
pick comes out clean and top
is golden brown and crisp).

Immediately rub a pat of but-
ter over the top of the loaf.

Remove from the pan, cool
and enjoy. l
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In a large pot, melt the but-
ter and sauté the onions, car-
rots, celery, and garlic until
softened and fragrant, about
5 minutes.

Add the beer, stir constantly,
and bring to a boil (this cooks
off the alcohol).

JEWISH EXPONENT
JANUARY 24, 2019
21