9B5489D4-A291-4B16-8D7D-ABA683E0F2D8
| ID | 9B5489D4-A291-4B16-8D7D-ABA683E0F2D8 |
|---|---|
| Titlecode | R01023 |
| Title Name | Like Streams in the Desert |
| Marketing Copy | Commissioned by Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Neal Gittleman, Music Director, with support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. It is inspired by Psalm 126, whose theme is the return of exiles to Zion. This psalm, sung at festive meals on Sabbath and holidays, has sustained generations of Jews in exile. |
| Instrumentation | 2(2d Picc).2.2.2: 4.2.2.1(alt Btbn): Timp.Perc(2).Hp: Str |
| Commission | Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Neal Gittleman, Music Director with support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. |
| Dedication | (not set) |
| Program Notes | Like Streams in the Desert was commissioned by the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in honor of the 50th anniversary of the state of Israel. It is inspired by Psalm 126, whose theme is the return of exiles to Zion. This psalm, sung at festive meals on Sabbath and holidays, has sustained generations of Jews in exile. Communities throughout the Diaspora have created new and varied melodies for expressing the depths of this text, and many of these communities have now fulfilled the dream of returning to the land. In this composition, I have selected several versions of Psalm 126 which reflect contrasting interpretations of the experience of exile and return. The music begins with a plaintive Salonikan Greek melody in the oboe and later the trumpet, infused with yearning for return. It is the call of a lover for her beloved from afar. The atmosphere has a dreamlike quality enhanced by the vibraphone and other percussion colors which leads to an ecstatic vision of reunion with trills and tremolos in the woodwinds and strings. This gives way to a vigorous dance expressed by a Yemenite version of the psalm. Here the percussion joins the orchestra in accenting rhythmic and tonal shifts as the music frees itself from the bonds of exile and revels in the joy of return. In the midst of this energy the music slows to allow a melody from Morocco to emerge in the strings. Recalling the lover's yearning from the opening, the Moroccan melody expresses the sweetness of intimacy when tow lovers finally reunite. After this interlude, the energetic dance continues, now widening the circle to invite all to join. Hints of other melodies fly by (a motive from a Gregorian chant, Jerusalem et Judaea; motives from a Persian melody for Adon Olam or Sovereign of the Universe; church bells) as the whole world is beckoned to participate in a universal dance of joy and redemption. This composition grew out of a six-week residency in Israel during spring of 1997 sponsored by the South Carolina Arts Commission and Hillel at the University of South Carolina. Below is the text of Psalm 126: A Song of Ascents. When God returns Zion from exile We will be as if in a dream, Our mouths filled with laughter, Our tongues with songs of joy. Then shall they say among the nations: "God has made greatness for them." God has mad greatness for us. We rejoiced. Return us from our exile, Oh God, Like streams in the desert. those who sow in tears shall reap with joyous song. the one who goes weeping, Carrying his bag of seed, Will come back with songs of joy, Carrying his sheaves. Meira Warshauer |
| Title Brand | 2 |
| Year Composed | 1998 |
| Copyright Number | (not set) |
| Copyright Year | (not set) |
| Duration | 8 |
| Ensemble Size | 13 |
| Date Created | 2008-10-31 20:31:25.000000 |
| Date Updated | 2025-09-30 20:31:25 |
| Inhouse Note | (not set) |
| Bsc Code | (not set) |
| Text Author | (not set) |
| Premier Performance Memo | (not set) |
| Recording Credits | Recorded by Slovak Radio Symphony, Albany Records. |
| Review | (not set) |
| Awards | (not set) |
| Title Category | 7 |
| Title Movements | (not set) |
| Title Grade | (not set) |
| Set Series ID | (not set) |
| Title Instrument Category Text | Full Orchestra |
| Title Sub Category Text | (not set) |
| Title Sub Category | 31 |
| Title Instrument Header | 41 |
| Title Grade Text | (not set) |
| Clean Url | like-streams-in-the-desert-r01023 |