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MUSICALS, PLAYS & OTHER NEWS


FEBRUARY, 2010 - LITANY/KADDISH PRAYER CD-ROM NOW AVAILABLE


Litany is the the turning point in the Kaddish narrative. It begins the final section of the work, Tikkun Olam, (Repair of the World) meant to find some way to move forward from the ashes. It consists only of spoken words, and only these words: the names, dates and places of birth, dates and places of death of 2,037 from among the millions who perished in the five extermination camps of the Nazis during the height of the Holocaust: 1942-44. The movement begins with a single voice, and we can clearly hear what is being intoned. One by one, voices enter, with ever-increasing frequency and soon the audience hears a cacophony of voices. There is a loud unintelligible buzz, like in a densely packed train station, as each individual on stage- chorus, soloist, instrumentalist- recites the names on his or her individual list.

In creating Litany, Lawrence Siegel asked Meagan Blais, a Keene State College sophomore who was his assistant as he was preparing the piece during 2007-2008, to go to the Yad Vashem database and find this information. Meagan soon became obsessed with the challenge: even this basic information about so many people known to have perished was difficult to find. The 2,037 souls who are named in Litany stand, in Kaddish, for the 6,000,000 Jews and millions and millions of others who died and whose memories are so extinguished as not to allow for even this simple naming. Anyone who participates in performing Litany and anyone who hears it, comes away haunted by the souls he or she is charged with naming, and moved to live on their behalf in some measure.

In performance of the whole work, Siegel's setting of the Mourner's Kaddish follows Litany. It is strongly encouraged that those wishing to perform Litany follow it with Kaddish Prayer; thus the two movements are offered together. In the Jewish tradition, Kaddish is said for those personally dear to us: our friends or relatives. We who perform Litany are "claiming" those whom we name as our own, and in some way doing our part to let them find peace.

The CD-ROM contains the following:

  • Creating Kaddish, an Introduction (PDF)
  • Litany Conductor's Score (PDF)
  • Litany Pronunciation Guide (PDF)
  • Litany Names (PDF)
  • Litany World Premiere Recording (MP3 and WAV)
  • Kaddish Prayer Score for Piano and Baritone (PDF)
  • Kaddish Prayer World Premiere Recording (MP3 and WAV)

For more information about Kaddish visit the Kaddish Project web site or contact the publisher: Larilea 128 Paine Rd. Westmoreland, NH 03467 603-355-8353
larry@tricinium.com.

FEBRUARY, 2010 - KADDISH NOW AVAILABLE ON CD

cd - monadnock tales
World Premiere Performance recorded live with the 130-voice VocalEssence Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Philip Brunelle, featuring soprano Maria Jette, mezzo Krista J. Palmquist, tenor Anders Eckman and bass-baritone James Bohn, at the Ted Mann Concert Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 15, 2008. Kaddish is an hour-long oratorio for chorus, soloists and chamber orchestra, whose libretto is fashioned from the testimony of survivors of the Holocaust. Kaddish tells their stories in their own words, providing a window into their lives, allowing us to share their experience directly. As the youngest of the survivors approach their eighties and nineties, this window is beginning to close. Kaddish will allow us to hear their voices forever.

Of this premiere performance of Kaddish, the Minneapolis Star Tribune said: "... In its lyrical simplicity, the music created an emotional connection to the story. Kaddish had a gravitas and an emotional immediacy that made even the familiar story of the Holocaust fresh and compelling." The Minnesota Pioneer Press said: "... Joy of a kind born in resiliency emerges like a glow of white light in the final section of Lawrence Siegel's oratorio ... the impact of the conclusion is thrilling."

For more information about Kaddish visit the Kaddish Project web site.

HOUSTON SYMPHONY AND HOUSTON SYMPHONY
CHORUS
TO PERFORM KADDISH

houston symphony logo
On November 23rd, 2010, a full symphonic version of Kaddish will be premiereed by the Houston Symphony and Houston Symphony Chorus. In the period leading up to that performance, a series of significant workshops and presentations will feature the composer and Holocaust survivors. These activities will be produced by Holocaust Museum Houston in partnership with the Houston Symphony.

APRIL, 2009 - KADDISH ON PERFORMANCE TODAY

performance today logo
On Tuesday, April 21 2009, Yom Ha Shoah, Performance Today, the nationally syndicated classical music radio program, presented selections from a major new choral work: Kaddish, written and composed by Lawrence Siegel. For a limited period you may listen online at the Performance Today Archives.

Performance Today features live concerts by famous artists in concert halls around the globe, and is one of America's most popular classical music radio programs, with more than 1.2 million weekly listeners on 237 stations around the country. To find your local station and airtime, go to: http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/stations/

For more information about Kaddish please contact the publisher: Larilea 128 Paine Rd. Westmoreland, NH 03467 603-355-8353
larry@tricinium.com

DECEMBER, 2008 - MONADNOCK TALES CD RELEASED

Monadnock Tales and the world premiere of The Light Staccato of Souls
cd - monadnock tales
Recorded in October 2007 at Peterborough Players, Peterborough, NH. Monadnock Tales features an extraordinary, book length poem by Edie Clark. The combined work for chamber ensemble and narrator is a symphonic poem unique in the intricacy of its dialogue between words and music. This chamber version, narrated by Tom Putnam, is performed by a wonderful group of instrumentalists who have made it their own.

The Light Staccato of Souls was commissioned by Tom Putnam in memory of his father, David F. Putnam, a visionary and global citizen committed to his communities. Encompassing three winning entries from Tricinium's poetry contest on the theme of community, these songs emerged as love songs demonstrating the passion of people for the personal, local and everyday: our families, friends, partners, associates and neighbors.

Buy CD Now or Listen to Music

NOVEMBER 15, 2008 - KADDISH WORLD PREMIERE

VocalEssence, conducted by Philip Brunelle,
Lawrence Siegel, Composer

Minneapolis, MN – The World Premiere of "Kaddish", took place November 15, 2008 as part of the 40th anniversary season of VocalEssence, conducted by Philip Brunelle, featuring soprano Maria Jette, mezzo Krista J. Palmquist, tenor Anders Eckman and bass-baritone James Bohn.

Interest is building around the world- in Houston, Texas, Toronto, Canada, Copenhagen, Denmark, Jerusalem, Israel, and many other places- in hosting performances of "Kaddish."

As Ambassador Richard Swett offered, after the May 3 debut: "I am so impressed and proud of what you have done. The breadth of the impact it will have I predict will be global, but the piece itself possesses a humility and optimism that is unlike any other piece on the holocaust....[T]his piece was one of the most impacting pieces I have ever heard. The libretto was so real it was palpable."