Jewish News 16 November 2006

Jewish Chronicle 9 November 2006

It's around this time of year that I am struck down by Christmas Carol envy, writes Gabi Wine.

However, last Sunday's extraordinary concert marking the 50th anniversary of the Zemel Choir was a timely reminder that Judaism has its own rich and beautiful tradition of choral music.

The audience packed into St John's, ready to applaud the Zemel (the name is an acronym for the Hebrew for "North-West London" - "'I'sphon Ma'arav London"). This talented group of amateur singers flies in the face of Jewish Orthodox convention by having males and females singing together.

For the occasion, all seven of the choir's past conductors joined the current musical director Benjamin Wolf on the podium, giving every song added poignancy.

The evening opened with a jubilant "Halleluyah" by 19th-century composer Louis Lewandowski. which set audience expectations high. With a performance spanning 30 songs over three hours, the choir lived up to them.

The highlights included an a capella version of "Shir Hama'alot," by 17th-century musician Salamone Rossi. It's a song habitually raced through after eating, but this version savoured every note.

The traditional Chasidic niggunim"Ken Bakodesh" and "Ai Di Di Di Dai" were fittingly upbeat, and the rich vocals of tenor Robert Brody led Kurt Weill's "Kiddush" in the jazziest version of the piece I have ever heard.

The evening was also an opportunity for conductors to premiere their own impressive compositions, including a deeply moving Psalm 95:1-7, composed by Malcolm Singer and dedicated to his late mother. Indeed, it was fascinating to see the contrasting style of the conductors - from choir founder Dudley Cohen's controlled and focused approach to Geoffrey Simon's flamboyant movements.

For the final numbers, around 100 previous Zemcl members squeezed onto the stage to sing some old favourites, and the audience was invited to join in with the British and Israeli national anthems.

While it was rousing to sing in a hall with such great acoustics, I personally would have preferred to sing along with Israel's 1979 Eurovision winner, "Hallelujah," sung by the choir earlier in the night.

That, after all, summed up how most of us were feeling.