Eighteen liturgical psalms

Description

Deutsche Grammophon presents the world premiere recording of the 18 liturgical psalms by Louis Lewandowski. Conductor, choir director, and organist at the Oranienburger Strasse synagogue in Berlin, Lewandowski was a pioneer of modern Jewish liturgical music, whose reforms led to the creation of a new liturgy for Jewish synagogue services - a liturgy that combined Western classical music and traditional synagogue singing and restored an important role for organ music, introducing a romantic style influenced by Mendelssohn. This first complete recording of his 1879 masterpiece is conducted by Andor Izsák, who encountered the tradition of psalm singing in his youth when he was the organist at the Great Synagogue of Budapest in Dohány-utca. The interpretation follows Izsák's 1994 edition, based on the long-lost original manuscript. He is joined by the wonderful choir of Hungarian Radio for this world premiere recording, with generous support from the Hungarian government and the Hungarian Radio Art Groups.