SKU: A0.944036

Kantes del verdgel de granadas – Songs from the Pomegranate Garden

A Judeo-Spanish song cycle for solo voice and chamber symphony orchestra

Composer’s notes:

Kantes del verdgel de granadas, or in its English translation: Songs from the Pomegranate Garden, is a cycle of five songs in the Judeo-Spanish dialect, also known as Ladino. The texts, based on folk-poetry, are magical, passionate, and encompass a wide range of human emotions and experiences. We can find in them love and longing, sorrow and death, lightheartedness and folly, as well as burning love and even sexual innuendo. The vocal part portrays different stories and a variety of human characters in each of the five songs. It, thus, ranges in expression from parlando secco to lirico espressivo. The role of the orchestra in this cycle is more than just an accompaniment; it converses with the voice, adds colors and ambience, and serves as a commentary over the sung text. Thus, the orchestral part is equal to, or at times even more predominant than the voice itself.

The initiative to write this composition came in response to a specific cultural approach by which creativity based on traditional Judaic material should correspond to four stages in the artistic process: Exploration, Preservation, Interpretation, and Innovation (as translated by the Hebrew terms: חידוש – פירוש – שימור – חיפוש). The main idea behind this initiative was to conserve crucial elements within traditional Jewish folk music, and then, bring about their revival as art music through new contemporary interpretations. Thus, the musical arrangement is partially based on the traditional Ladino tunes and partially original. However, phrases based on old Ladino melodies are starkly modified and composed in such way to completely evoke personal imagery and interpretation.

The songs I selected for the cycle were taken from the four-volume collection: Chants judéo-espagnols by Isaac Levy. My criteria for the selection was finding lesser-known melodies, yet most intriguing ones and with a strong Judeo-Spanish character. The five songs have various degrees of arrangement vs. original composition: songs 2 and 3, Mi korason and Entre las huertas, for example, are almost unchanged, while songs 1 and 4, Dos amantes and Malato ‘sta el hijo del rey, heavily combine the old Ladino romancero melodies with originally composed material. The concluding song (Nr. 5) is entirely original, but correspond stylistically to the Judeo-Spanish musical language. While all five songs are secular in nature, the ballad Malato ‘sta el hijo del rey (The King’s Son is Ill) has been traditionally sung - according to Isaac Levy - on the night of Tisha B’Av along the scroll of Eicha to bemoan the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Judeo-Spanish text of the songs can be found below along with its English translation.  

Duration: ca. 24 min.

Performance material by rental only! For demo recording, questions, or any additional information please e-mail Ofer Ben-Amots at: thecomposerspress@gmail.com