Here Come Da King
The Rackham Symphony Choir brings the story of
King David to musical life at Shaarey Zedek.
SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
' e the stories surround-
ing the life of King David
are particularly dramat-
Wil
c, they are about to be-
come more theatrical as they are told
in song and narration by the Rackham
Symphony Choir and guest artists.
The 63-member choral group, fea-
turing four soloists and a narrator, will
present the King David scored by 20th-
century Swiss-born composer Arthur
Honegger, whose work was planned as
incidental music to a play by Rene
Morax.
As in the original version, there will
be 16 instrumentalists for this all-in-
English program, which starts at 3
p.m. Sunday, March 16, at Congrega-
tion Shaarey Zedek.
"This is a work that's not performed
very often, and I think its unusual or-
chestrations are very special," said
Suzanne Acton, Rackham music di-
rector. "What permeates throughout
is David's profound faith."
Chaim Najman, Shaarey Zedek can-
tor, is one of the soloists as is Rochelle
Rosenthal, who has performed in mu-
sical theater in Michigan and in New
York.
The two other soloists are Rosalin
Contrera Guastella, who has conduct-
ed workshops for cantors, and Melody
Racine, a UniverSity of Michi-
gan faculty member, who has
appeared in operatic roles.
Dr. Arthur Beer, a Univer-
sity of Detroit Mercy professor
who has acted and directed Or
the Jewish Ensemble Theatre,
is narrator. Eugene Zweig,
Shaarey Zedek choral director,
is a Rackham member.
"This work combines the
very best of opera, choral and
orchestral music, all unified
with the presence of a narra-
tor," said Acton, a conductor
and singing coach for the
Michigan Opera Theatre. "It's
challenging, interesting and
fun.
"I felt the work would be
unique in a season when choirs
traditionally perform classical requiem
masses. Metro area audiences have not
heard the work performed here for
eight years."
The program is planned to appeal to
all age and religious groups; the au-
dience will be given printed copies of
the sung portions.
Honegger's King David was first
staged in 1921, when the composer
called it a symphonic psalm, noting
that many ofKing David's 27 sections
Rackham Music Director Susan Acton conducts a 63-member choral group and 16 instrumentalists
in a performance of Honegger's King David.
are from the Psalms of David.
The music was planned to evoke tex-
tures and emotions ranging from war
to peace, despair to jubilation and de-
feat to glory.
"The music expands the beauty of
the text and makes the program a pro-
found spiritual experience," said Can-
tor Najman, who has appeared in
concerts throughout the country and
premiered works by leading composers.
"King David was a complex person-
ality, and this piece reflects his moods."
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Esther The Jester
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The King David performance, open
to the community, supports the syna-
gogue's celebration of Jewish Music
Month. It is part of the Rackham
Choir's 48th season. O
King David will be performed at
3 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at Con-
gregation Shaarey Zedek in South-
field. For information, call (313)
341-3466.
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Temple Kol Ami spoofs Purim with a performance of
The New Megilla.
SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
N
84
athalie Conrad has a sense of
Jewish history as well as a sense
of humor.
The Temple Kol Ami music di-
rector combines the two in The New Megilla,
a musical that spoofs the Book ofEsther with
Conrad's original script and new lyrics to 14
popular songs.
Her work comes to the stage for its first
two performances with a cast of 40 at 7:45
p.m. Saturday, March 15, and 2 p.m. Sun-
day, March 16.
"I think the Book of Esther is one of the
most perfect books ever written," said Con-
rad, who has been music director at the tem-
ple for 30 years.
"Except for Haman, of course, I love the
characters, and I love the plot. I think it's
great that everything turns out nicely."
Conrad's production — featuring doctors,
lawyers, rabbis and madcaps — gives a hu-
morous twist in part by asking tongue-in-
cheek questions: How did Esther
keep kosher under the circum-
stances? What was Esther doing
alone in the palace with a man?
What really happened to the vil-
lain?
"I've done little parody songs
for various events and light pieces
for a Jewish magazine," Conrad
said about previous examples of
her humorous writing. She also
has written liturgical music.
Among the songs rewritten for
this production are "Give My Re-
gards to Broadway," "I'm Called
Little Buttercup" and "Bye, Bye,
Blackbird."
Chriss Golden directs the pro-
duction, which features her hus-
band, Brian, as Haman; Cindy
Ziegelman as Esther; Daryl
Ziegelman, Cindy's husband, as
Director Chriss Golden and playwright Nathalie Conrad go over the script of The New Megilla.