Fromental Halévy, opera arias and synagogue songs

The following playlist presents the most famous aria from his opera La Juive (1835): Eleazar’s Cavatina or Rachel, quand du Seigneur, followed by several psalms, such as Mizmor lessodo (ps. 100), Adochem Zehonorou (ps. 115) Min hametsar (ps. 118) or Mimaamakim (ps. 130), performed by the Léon Algazi’s choir, Marcel Lorrand and the Strasbourg synagogue choir, Michel Heymann, La Truite Lyrique and the Polyphonies hébraïques de Strasbourg conducted by Hector Sabo.

A prolific composer of the 19th century, Fromental Halévy (1799-1862) composed nearly 37 operas (including his hugely successful opera La Juive), numerous melodies, duets and other romances. Born into a Jewish family from Bavaria and Lorraine, Fromental Halévy benefited from the emancipation of the Jews of France to pursue a musical career that brought him to the pinnacle of glory. Considered in his time as one of the masters of French music, along with Rossini, Auber and Meyerbeer, Fromental Halévy did not however forget his origins and composed no less than ten pieces in Hebrew (seven psalms and three prayers) for the Jewish consistorial cult.

The following playlist presents the most famous aria from his opera La Juive (1835): Eleazar’s Cavatina or Rachel, quand du Seigneur, followed by several psalms, such as Mizmor lessodo (ps. 100), Adochem Zehonorou (ps. 115) Min hametsar (ps. 118) or Mimaamakim (ps. 130), performed by the Léon Algazi’s choir, Marcel Lorrand and the Strasbourg synagogue choir, Michel Heymann, La Truite Lyrique and the Polyphonies hébraïques de Strasbourg conducted by Hector Sabo.

Enjoy your listening!

Share:
0:00
0:00

You may also like

Léon Algazi (1890-1971), a Jewish music pioneer in France

In the "Life Courses" series, Jacques Algazi (1934-2021) reveals the life of his father, Léon Algazi (1890-1971), a tireless intellectual…

Sefarad in the piano – Toni Costa

Inspired by Judeo-Spanish folk poetry, jazz, early music and the popular rhythms of flamenco, the pianist Toni Costa presents his…