Local Composer Brings ‘Voices’ of the Holocaust to Life
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About 25 years ago, when Michael Shapiro served as music consultant to the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, he found a book of Sephardic poetry of the Holocaust.
The poetry’s text was in multiple languages – Italian, Spanish, French, among a few others. More than two decades later, that discovery would serve as the inspiration for Shapiro to compose his latest work.
Shapiro sat down and wrote the piece he titled “Voices.” Deborah King, who is the artistic director of Ember Choral Arts and conductor of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, urged him to write what he descried as “my requiem.”
“Through her good graces and influence and caring, I was inspired to write this and I wrote it in seven months,” said Shapiro the former conductor of the Chappaqua Orchestra who remains its laureate conductor and continues to live in Chappaqua. “It just flew out of me, and I can tell you it’s one of my most accomplished works, no question about it. I think it will have an immediate impact.”
On Nov. 9, area residents will have the opportunity to hear the world co-premiere of “Voices” at Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford. The performance will feature the Ember Choral Arts, the American Modern Ensemble, conducted by King, and tenor Daniel Mutlu, the senior cantor at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and one of the preeminent American cantorial voices. The following evening it will be performed at Central Synagogue.
The performances coincide with the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a pogrom against the Jewish people in Germany, which is often considered the beginning of the Holocaust.
Shapiro explained that the just over one-hour choral and chamber ensemble reflects the many musical styles, languages and voices of the Jewish people.
But “Voices” is more than a remembrance of the six million lost or honoring Sephardic Jews, those whose origins are traced to the Mediterranean instead of Europe. It is a cautionary tale with right-wing extremism on the rise in countries around the globe, including the United States, Shapiro said.
“I see this piece as a warning, a human rights warning to the world that I can do as an artist,” Shapiro said. “What happened was, yes, six million of my people were savagely murdered. You can’t compare the Holocaust to anything else, which was brought about by the most civilized country in the world, the German military, which is just crazy when you think about it – and there have been other genocides since.”
The work, which opens and closes in Hebrew, leads off with “Ani Ma’Amin” (“I Believe”), which is attributed to Azriel David Fastag, who composed the piece in a cattle car on his way to a Nazi death camp. One of the other people on board survived jumping off the train and brought the music to a head rabbi when he arrived in Israel.
“I hope in this piece, and I think I’ve succeeded in giving voice to those who have no voice, whose voices were destroyed,” Shapiro said.
The closing portion is “Avinu Malkeinu” (“Our Father, Our King, Hear Our Prayer”) and he weaves in “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem near the end. In between, listeners will music in other languages and styles.
Shapiro, who now conducts orchestras around the world, hopes the piece is remembered not just for the music but for the message, which people of all backgrounds can appreciate.
“So I hope that my piece will last beyond me and will be heard by a generation a hundred years from now,” Shapiro said.
For those interested in attending the Nov. 9 program at Temple Shaaray Tefila, you can register for tickets by visiting www.shaaraytefila.org. Tickets are free but a donation is requested.
The program will also be broadcast on Nov. 10 on Central Synagogue’s YouTube Channel and Facebook page. Both programs start at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a Q&A.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
