James DePreist (1936-2013)
is featured at AfriClassical.com
(Photo: Anthony Barboza/Getty Images
Moses Pergament: The Jewish Song (Den judiska sången).
Birgit Nordin (soprano), Sven-Olof Eliasson (tenor), Stockholm
Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, James DePreist (conductor). Original
recording made February 2nd and 8th, 1974. (Caprice CAP 21834). Total Time: 75'43.
Classical Voice North America (Photos and captions of Moses Pergament, above and below)
"Moses Pergament’s music has been blessed by an inheritance from two cultures – the Jewish and the Nordic.” Lars Silén
January 26, 2015
By Barry Bassis
The reissue on CD of Moses Pergament’s “The Jewish
Song” (“Den Judiska Sang”) on Caprice brings to light a work that has
musical and historical significance. Composed in 1944, near the end of
World War II, the large-scale composition (for soloists, choir and
orchestra) is described by its composer (in a statement contained in the
liner notes) as a “choral symphony.” It is a cry of pain in the
aftermath of the Holocaust and is unfortunately still timely with the
rising anti-Semitism in Europe, including the Scandinavian countries.
Moses Pergament (1893-1977) was born to a Jewish family in Finland.
At the time his father (who came from Lithuania) settled there, the
country didn’t allow Jewish immigration. An exception was given for
those who served in the Tsar’s army in Finland. Pergament grew up
speaking Yiddish and Swedish. He studied music in St. Petersburg and
settled in Sweden in 1915, where he continued to compose but became
known primarily as a music critic and journalist. He was not elected to
the Association of Swedish Composers until 1945, supposedly because, as a
Jew from Finland, he was not considered Swedish enough.
This 1974 recording is the only one ever made of “The Jewish Song.”
James DePreist (1936 — 2013) conducted the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
Orchestra with soprano Birgit Nordin, tenor Sven-Olaf Eliasson, and the
Stockholm Philharmonic Choir.
The work is set to poems by Ragnar Josephson (1891 — 1966), who was
not only a poet but also an art historian and theater director.
***
The performance is deeply moving, with stellar work by the orchestra,
choir and soloists. “The Jewish Song” has been compared to Mahler’s
“Song of the Earth.” It also bears a resemblance to Dmitri
Shostakovich’s Symphony No 13 in B flat minor (“Babi Yar”), another
musical reminder of Nazi atrocities.
The CD booklet contains translations of the texts along with an essay
by Lars Silen about the piece and the composer. There is also a note by
Pergament, who states that the work is intended to express “an infinite
feeling of belonging, even in the midst of great suffering.”
The recording is also a testament to James DePreist, one of the first
African-American conductors to have an international career. He was the
nephew of the eminent contralto Marian Anderson. DePreist overcame the
disability of polio, which he contracted in his twenties. In addition to
conducting, he published two books of poetry and received numerous
honors, including the National Medal of Arts.
Comment by email:
Jim Svedja, KUSC Classical Radio 91.5 FM, www.kusc.org Evening Host, reviewed this recording in the current issue of Fanfare. John [John Malveaux]
Comment by email:
Jim Svedja, KUSC Classical Radio 91.5 FM, www.kusc.org Evening Host, reviewed this recording in the current issue of Fanfare. John [John Malveaux]
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