Antiphonal singing
by a cantor and a choir accompanied by the solemn tones of an organ –
this was what 19th-century
composer Louis Lewandowski had in mind when he melded Jewish
tradition with Western harmonies to create an entirely new musical
sound. Nowadays, the only place where Lewandowsky’s style of
liturgy can still be heard is the Pestalozzistrasse synagogue in
Berlin ... and at concerts given by Cantor Isaac Sheffer with
“Synagogal Ensemble Berlin”, directed by Regina Yantian. Originally, cantors
served as prayer leaders, a kind of link between God and their
congregations. Jewish services had no instrumental accompaniment.
However, the innovative genius of the great master and reformer Louis
Lewandowski (1821 – 1894) transformed Jewish prayer services into a
true musical experience. Lewandowski’s compositions were a fitting
expression of the newly-found self-confidence of German Jews in the
19th century, and they contributed to the dissemination and growing
popularity of Jewish liturgy worldwide, even beyond the bounds of
religious affiliation. After
World War II,
most congregations reverted to their original form of worship – and
it was only in Berlin, in the Pestalozzistrasse synagogue, that the
Lewandowski tradition remained alive. “Synagogal
Ensemble
Berlin”
is
the
only
choir
anywhere
in
the
world
that
perform
the
liturgy of Louis Lewandowski at services every Friday
evening, every Shabbat morning and on Jewish holidays. For several years
now, Cantor Isaac Sheffer’s concerts with “Synagogal Ensemble
Berlin” have been making this unique Jewish-German tradition known
to a broader audience. In addition to the Lewandowski repertoire, the
Ensemble also perform works by other great 19th-century
composers such as Salomon Sulzer and Samuel Naumbourg as well as
20th-century
compositions by Kurt Weil, Maurice Ravel, Ben Steinberg, Meir
Finkelstein, etc.
Synagogal Ensemble Berlin
Regina Yantian started training as an organist and choir director at
the age of fifteen. She studied ethnomusicology at several
institutions, including in Jerusalem and Berlin, and has been organist
and choir director at the Pestalozzistrasse synagogue in
Berlin-Charlottenburg since 1998. For many years she sang in the synagogue choir herself, and was strongly inspired by her work with Chief Cantor Estrongo Nachama. Director and Organ Regina Yantian
Isaac Sheffer has been officiating as cantor of the Pestalozzistrasse
synagogue in Berlin-Charlottenburg since 2001.
He began his musical career as a tenor in the ensemble of the New
Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv. He then performed as a soloist at several
opera festivals (including with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
directed by Claudio Abbado) before assuming cantorial positions at the
Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple Beth Shalom in New York.
The
Ensemble has
eight to twelve singers, professional freelance soloists or members
of Berlin’s opera choruses.