Vehigianu | for Soprano and Symphony Orchestra (2020/21) 8’
Commissioned by: The Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund
Premiered by: The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra Steven Sloane, Conductor Yael Levita, Soprano
Henry Crown Hall, Jerusalem, Israel October 7th, 2021
Program Note
The "Shehecheyanu" blessing is a Jewish prayer said to express gratitude for recurring occasions as well as new or unusual experiences. In my piece Vehigianu for soprano and orchestra I chose to set the last three words of the original blessing, "vehigianu lazman hazeh", meaning "and brought us to this moment". Throughout the piece the soprano reiterates this phrase against an ever-changing musical landscape. In so doing I sought to express the elusive duality of recurrence and renewal inherent in this
text.
Udi Perlman
Berlin, July 2021