Event

San Francisco Choral Artists present: Prophets, Kings & Klezmer - Oakland

Have you ever heard internationally-acclaimed Klezmer Band Veretski Pass? Here's your chance -- in concert with San Francisco Choral Artists. Together we present an innovative program of Jewish music from the last 2000 years: psalms, folksongs, dances and lullabies expressed through the fusion of chamber choir and Klezmer band. You'll hear improvisation, three world premieres, settings of traditional Jewish texts, lively dance music and plangent a cappella harmonies.

The concerts showcase a variety of new and standard Klezmer music, and a wealth of choral music by Jewish composers, including richly scored six-part "Shir Hama'alot" by 17th century Italian composer Salamone Rossi, beloved works by Darius Milhaud and Felix Mendelssohn, a lush piece by 19th century composer David Nowakowsky called "Hashkivenu #2", Sylke Zimpel's arrangement of the familiar folk tune "Tumbalalaika", and compelling psalm settings by contemporary composers George Rochberg, Malcolm Singer, and Karen Tarlow.

For this program local composer Tina Harrington and Composer-Not-in-Residence Matt Van Brink each created new works that feature the two ensembles. Using energetic rhythms, Harrington's "Vest Oysforn" draws on the tradition of Eastern European folk music. The unique characters of two Romanian dances, the Doina and the Hora, are featured Matt Van Brink's work "They Disappear".