The New York Times: Whispers of an Italian-Jewish Past Fill Yotam Haber’s Music

The New York Times
Thomas May

Yotam Haber’s “Estro Poetico-armonico III” combines live singing with archival recordings of cantors.

Since early in his career, Yotam Haber has grappled with what it means to be a contemporary Jewish composer. The tentative answers offered by his music — full of allusions, distortion and whispers of the past — suggest that the grappling itself is a vital part of that identity.

Mr. Haber’s most recent work, “Estro Poetico-armonico III,” which juxtaposes a live mezzo-soprano and orchestra with decades-old recordings of Italian Jewish cantorial singing, dramatizes a subtle dialogue between creation and tradition. One of three composers to receive the Azrieli Foundation’s music prizes for 2020, Mr. Haber wrote the piece to fulfill the Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music.

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