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." se oseeeeee • earn...moo, 0 Esther The Jester 0 0 0 0 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. 0 O. • 4W 0 0 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.