An Evening of Baroque Jewish Music
"It is pure baroque music of the most compelling kind."
--Leeuwarder Courant
David Rabinovich, artistic director
Hanna Kopra, mezzo-soprano (Clemenza)
Immo Schröder, tenor (Rigore)
Ken Gould, baritone (Dio)
Founded in 1992, Amsterdam's Apollo Ensemble makes its U.S. debut with a concert of rare Jewish musical treasures from Baroque Italy and the Netherlands. A highlight is the American premiere of Dio, Clemenza e Rigore, an anonymously composed oratorio for an eighteenth-century Italian Jewish holiday synagogue service. It alternates instrumental and vocal pieces in a dialogue (in Hebrew) between Dio (God), Clemenza (Defendant), and Rigore (Prosecutor). Also on the program are the Trio Sonatas for two violins and basso continuo by Salamone de Rossi, the premier Jewish composer of the Italian Renaissance; Abraham Caceres's Le-el elim, a cantata for two voices and basso continuo composed for the Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam; and eighteenth-century Italian Catholic composer Benedetto Marcello's Salmo 15/ Ma'oz Tzur, a setting of the Hebrew psalms for baritone voice and instrumental accompaniment composed for Italian Jews.
Performance Timing: Part One - 33 min.; Intermission - 15 min.; Part Two - 53 min.