Leonard Bernstein - Bernstein: Symphony No.3 "Kaddish", Dybbuk Suite No.2 (1978/2017) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Kaddish is Leonard Bernstein's third symphony. The 1963 symphony is a dramatic work written for a large orchestra, a full choir, a boys' choir, a soprano soloist and a narrator. The name of the piece, Kaddish, refers to the Jewish prayer that is chanted at every synagogue service for the dead but never mentions "death."

The symphony is dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy who was assassinated on November 22, 1963, just weeks before the first performance of the symphony. Leonard Bernstein wrote the text of the narration himself, but struggled with his own motivation for the aggressiveness of the text. In 2003, after talks with Bernstein shortly before his death, Holocaust survivor Samuel Pisar added a new narration about his personal experiences and how his family suffered and perished in the Holocaust, and his subsequent struggle with his belief. The Bernstein estate allows this version only to be used with Samuel Pisar as recitator.

Tracklist:
1. Symphony No.3 "Kaddish" : 1. "Invocation": Adagio 03:02
2. Symphony No.3 "Kaddish" : 1. "Kaddish 1": L'istesso tempo - Allegro molto 04:58
3. Symphony No.3 "Kaddish" : 2. "Din - Torah": Di nuovo adagio 05:57
4. Symphony No.3 "Kaddish" : 2. "Kaddish 2": Andante con tenerezza 08:13
5. Symphony No.3 "Kaddish" : 3. "Kaddish 3": Scherzo - Presto scherzando, sempre pianissimo 04:37
6. Symphony No.3 "Kaddish" : 3. "Kaddish 3": Finale - Adagio come nel Din-Torah 02:43
7. Symphony No.3 "Kaddish" : 3. "Kaddish 3": Allegro vivo, con gioia 10:00
8. Dybbuk Suite No.2 : 1. The Messengers 02:05
9. Dybbuk Suite No.2 : 2. Leah 03:00
10. Dybbuk Suite No.2 : 3. 5 Kabbalah Variations 06:34
11. Dybbuk Suite No.2 : 4. Dream 05:24

Personnel:
Montserrat Caballé, soprano
Michael Wager, narrator (speaker)
Wiener Jeunesse-Chor
Wiener Sängerknaben
Günther Theuring, chorus master
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein, conductor

Digitally remastered