Milhaud Ani Maamin – Cantata And Bernstein Symphony No. 3 (Kaddish) by Bernstein, Milhaud, De la (2018/2018), Dirijor Zsolt Hamar, Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest, Hungary

MILHAUD: Ani Maamin – cantata One of the final works by Darius Milhaud (1892–1974) was the Ani maamin (“I Believe”) cantata, written in 1972, the title of which refers to the writings of Maimonides that summarise the 13 principles of Jewish faith. The 12th point of this creed, the coming of the Jewish Messiah, was especially emphasised by the writer of the cantata’s text Elie Wiesel. In the piece, the short chorus and vocal solo lines alternate with texts narrated in prose which depict Abraham, Isaac and Jacob travelling around the world and bringing the immense suffering of the Holocaust before God. The lines by the solo soprano appear near the middle of the piece, and alternate with the words of Abraham. To the questions of the patriarchs (How can God allow such atrocities?), the answers again and again convey unconditional faith: “The thoughts of God are inscrutable. God knows what He does.” The patriarchs finally run out of arguments and leave the heavens, but do not notice the tears in the eyes of God. And they receive a new confirmation, hope in the lives of their children. We first hear the complete text of the creed in the final movement in Hebrew: “I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah, and, though he may tarry, I will wait daily for his coming. Ani maamin.” BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 3 (“Kaddish”) The title of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3, Kaddish, refers to a Jewish prayer which is usually chanted for the dead but never mentions death, and rather attests to the glory of God. Through it, mourners express that they have not lost their faith in spite of their pain. The monumental performance is scored for a narrator, soprano solo, mixed choir, boy’s choir and a large symphony orchestra. The piece’s three movements are performed in sequence without intermission: I Invocation – Kaddish 1; II Din-Torah – Kaddish 2; III Scherzo – Kaddish 3 – Finale. In all three movements, the kaddish prayer is sung in its entirety in the original Aramaic/Hebrew language, and always with a different character. The narrator’s very personal, and in some places quite dramatic text was written by Bernstein himself, and conveys one of the main problems of the 20th century and of the composer, a crisis of faith, as well as his struggles, doubts and even his conflicts with God.