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| Maestro Assaf Benraf (Uri Elkayam) |
The Henry Crown Auditorium (Jerusalem Theatre) was filled to
capacity on the evening of July 30th, 2026. For the third concert of a
choral series directed by Assaf Benraf, each with a different theme, "Hear
My Voice" was a program of sacred works. The A-Capella Jerusalem
Vocal Ensemble, the Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir and members of the
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra were joined by soloists - Nir Gavrieli (oboe),
Rinatya Nessim (soprano), Maya Amir (mezzo-soprano) and Dmitry Negrimovsky
(bass). Conducting the event was Maestro Benraf - director of both the choirs
- with Dor Gidon Amran at the keyboard (organ/piano).
The first part of the program consisted of various short
choral pieces. Opening with Anton Bruckner's 1886 motet Locus iste (This
place), written for the dedication of the votive chapel at the New Cathedral Linz, Austria, where Bruckner
had been an organist, the joint choir's clean, sensitive choral sound reflected
the piece's sublime, hauntingly beautiful writing. Then to Gabriel Fauré's Cantique
de Jean Racine (Chant by Jean Racine), Op. 11, the 20-year-old composer's elegant choral miniature (indeed, a precursor to the Requiem)
its intensity fragile and lush. We heard Hallelujah (1989) by Israeli
composer Tzvi Avni (b.1927), Avni's 1989 a-cappella setting of Psalm 150 fresh,
bold and energetic, its harmonies both pungent and lush. In strong contrast,
issued in with Dor Amran's meditative playing of the prelude, we enter into the aura
of Enosh, one of Louis Lewandowski’s most moving compositions, the text
(Psalm 102) describing the ephemeral nature of human life. This was a
beautiful, carefully paced and profound reading of the piece, with Benraf's
direction laying emphasis on the text, its connection to the harmonic
course and on the alternation of forthright- and tender moments. Harry Burleigh, a forgotten hero of American music, was the
composer/singer most responsible for turning spirituals into art songs, his
devout arrangement of Deep River (1915) becoming a sensation in its day.
The joint choir's articulate, lush rendition of the spiritual highlighted its
yearning and beauty. Buena Semana (A Good Week), sung in Ladino,
concluded the first part of the concert. The singers did justice to the splendid arrangement by the late Eyal Bat (the performance here dedicated to
his memory) to the song's warmth and vivid, lilting dancelike quality (with a
touch of the oriental), enhanced by Nir Gavrieli's uplifting playing of
the oboe part.
Johann Sebastian Bach composed Cantata No.82 Ich habe
genug (It is enough/I am content) for the Feast of the Purification on February 2, 1727, at the church of St. Thomas, Leipzig. Scored for bass
singer, solo oboe, strings and continuo, the work conveys how mortality
was viewed in the 18th century. It is based on the biblical words of Simeon,
who, having seen the infant Jesus, said that he could now die in peace. At the
Jerusalem concert, the soloist was young Russian-born baritone Dmitry
Negrimovsky, a singer of fresh, bright vocal timbre and articulacy. From
the opening aria, "Ich habe genug," to the consoling lullaby
"Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen" (Go to sleep, you weary eyes), to the triumphant, buoyant performance of "Ich freue mich auf meinen
Tod" (I rejoice at my death), with its spirited sixteenth-note melismas on
the word "freue" ("rejoice"), Negrimovsky's engagement with
the music and words gave expression to the cantata's magnitude and seriousness
with an immediacy that underscored its essence. The elaborate oboe part
testifies to the pool of talented players available to Bach in Leipzig.
Initially plaintive, then mellow and finally bristling with optimistic joy, Gavrieli's
playing, beautifully shaped, reached out to the vocal line throughout.
Antonio Vivaldi wrote several versions of his G minor
setting of the Magnificat canticle, one of his masterpieces. He scored
the RV 610 version for vocal soloists, four-part choir, oboes and string
orchestra. This first version is dominated by the choral concept. In the second
version, several movements were given new and extended solo arias, these
tailored to voices of girls from the Ospedale della Pietà , the
educational institution with which Vivaldi was affiliated for much of his adult
life. For "Hear My Voice", Assaf Benraf chose movements from different versions. Commencing with a solemn, majestic performance of the choral
"Magnificat anima mea" (My soul proclaims the greatness), the
"Et exultavit" (My spirit has rejoiced) was rendered with charming
lightness by Maya Amir, with Rinatya Nessim, her voice well-anchored, handling
the "Quia respexit" (He has looked upon the lowliness) with aplomb.
Together they delivered the "Esurientes" (Those hungry) with
elegance and fine passagework. As to the choruses, "Fecit
potentiam" (He has shown strength) was performed with fiery drama by both
choir and orchestra. Following another grand choral moment in "Suscepit
Israel" (He has helped his servant Israel), the three soloists (Amir,
Nessim, Nemirovsky) gave a characterful "Sicut locutus est" (As He
has spoken), graced by the two oboes, before the final choral movements'
conclusion with a lively fugue.
Maestro Benraf understands the potential and beauty of the human voice and its repertoire. He opened the event with some information on the works to be heard. It was an evening of interesting programming and of splendid, high-standard musical performance. Adding to the evening's excellence were Dor Gidon Amran's tasteful, attentive accompaniments throughout.
Two spirituals - Daniel Servant of the Lord and Rock-a My Soul - made for a hearty end to the evening.
