I must confess to having
heard nothing from ‘one of America’s
most respected composers’ – Samuel Adler
- before this recording. And I am not
sure that this CD is the one that will
make me wish to explore his music further.
However the Symphony is the one work
here that seems to me to save the reputation
of this disc and raise it from the mildly
interesting to the special.
Even a superficial
encounter with this recording reveals
a composer that is competent and well
able to change his style to suit the
nature of the music. What makes him
rare is that there is a definite consistency
across his use of an eclectic range
of styles.
He comes from a family
of musicians, his father having been
a cantor and composer in Mannheim. The
Adlers were lucky enough to escape to
the USA in 1939 and Samuel was able
to study music in complete freedom and
security. His teachers included Aaron
Copland, Paul Hindemith, Randall Thompson
and Walter Piston.
I candidly accept that
there are some cultural barriers that
come between me and this music. Fundamentally
I do not understand the background to
Jewish Liturgical music – it has just
not been a part of my religious or musical
heritage or tradition. Having been brought
up on a diet of Anglican Cathedral music,
the liturgical music of the synagogue
is a novel experience. However, I must
confess that much of the specifically
liturgical music on this disc generates
a sense of the numinous that defies
religious boundaries.
Bearing mind that the
composer is noted for his sophisticated
musical language, the Five Sephardic
Choruses are, to my ears at any
rate, trite. They are like much Christian
liturgical music that is quite obviously
second best – like countless arrangements
of Christmas Carols that do not really
hit the spot. There is nothing wrong
with them - just plain average.
Now it is clear from
the programme notes that these five
choruses are based on ancient tunes
derived from Jewish history. I looked
up the word Sephardic and discovered
that it has a number of shades of meaning.
Originally the Sephardi were Jews who
were native to Spain and Portugal and
were expelled as a result of the Spanish
Inquisition. However the current day
usage seems to apply equally to Jews
from the Near East including Yemen,
Iraq and Iran who have emigrated to
Israel or the United States. This accounts
for an old Yemeni tune in the last of
the Choruses. I personally found
the singing a little to ‘screechy’ although
this may be the style called for by
the music.
The Nuptial Scene
sounds like so much music that was
composed in the 1970s. I am just not
sure where it sits in the hierarchy
of genius. It is not my cup of tea although
I can see that many listeners will find
it extremely moving. What I notice is
that the orchestration is colourful,
yet the vocal line seems to lack distinction.
I can find little in
the extract from The Binding
that would make me want desperately
to hear the full work. This oratorio
is all about Isaac and Abraham and the
former’s rather close call on the funeral
pyre. Once again this music is very
much a child of its time although I
have to admit that the music appeals
to me much more than some of Benjamin
Britten’s Parables! If you like
this sort of quasi-operatic event you
will like this music.
The selected liturgical
works seem to me the most eye-opening
thing on this CD. The thing that really
makes it for me is the Cantor Alberto
Mizrahi. His voice is in complete contrast
to the previous two works. This not
the place to explore the Jewish liturgy,
however just listening to these pieces
confirms that the musical tradition
in the Synagogue is alive and well.
This music was written in the 1960s
and is in complete contrast to the other
pieces composed at this time. Yet this
is working music – designed for the
faithful and not just the concert going
cognoscenti.
The Symphony No.5 We
are the Echoes opens with some promising
music before it is stopped in its track
by the singer. Now I am not sure if
this is a ‘true’ symphony – to me it
is more like an orchestrated song-cycle.
Yet whatever the form, it is quite obviously
a considerable work.
The theme is a reflection
of the Jewish experience of history
– so obviously there are few light moments
in this work. However the piece does
end with great hope – that ‘God follows
me everywhere’ which seems a huge leap
of faith after Belsen and Dachau. Yet
this is surely the great strength of
the Jewish faith – that it survives
in adversity. The opening movement uses
the perennial imagery of the Wandering
Jew and this is surely appropriate.
One prays that one day he may find rest.
The singer is sometimes
lost in the surrounding orchestral tuttis.
There are many attractive and even beautiful
moments in this work and the orchestration
seems pretty good too. However I do
not like the singer Phyllis Bryn-Julson
– she is too reedy for my taste. Perhaps
another singer might just make this
work perfect.
The presentation of
this disc is superb – there is a nice
feel to it – being somewhat different
in design to the usual Naxos American
Classics production. The programme notes
by Neil Levin and the composer are extensive.
The lyrics and libretti are all present
and correct.
So in conclusion, this
is an interesting CD; good in parts.
I am perhaps the wrong person to review
this CD as I really do not warm to Adler’s
vocal style. However, the orchestral
elements of this CD make me feel that
I would like to hear a work by this
composer for instruments or orchestra
without voices.
John France
Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano 
