Kol Nidre 5773

“All [personal] vows we are likely to make, all [personal] oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our [personal] vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.”

I found the English version of the declaration that opens the service in the synagogue on Yom Kippur at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kol_Nidre.

source http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/tag/yom-kippur/

On the eve of the holiday I looked (again) on some of the beautiful musical works that were inspired by Kol Nidre along the time and some of the special interpretations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0h4CDBSTls&feature=fvst

(video source TheCantorsVEVO)

I will start with a synagogue version recorded live in Amsterdam’s historic, 17th Century, Portuguese Synagogue, with three of the world’s greatest cantors.  Performing with a 46 piece orchestra and 16 voice choir are Alberto Mizrahi of the renowned Anshe Emet Synagogue, Chicago, Naftali Herstik of Great Synagogue Jerusalem and Benzion Miller of Young Israel Beth-El of Borough Park, New York.

(video source cdbpdx)

Here is the version sung by sung in Hebrew by cantor Joseph Rosenblatt in 1912 – 100 years ago. It appears on the flip side of his EL MOLE RACHMIN tribute to the sinking of the Titanic.

(video source israelyeshivaguy)

Rabbi, singer and composer Shlomo Carlebach left this version.

(video source 7654328)

The opening of the Adagio of Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 131 is inspired by the tune of Kol Nidre as it was sung at the beginning of the 19th century. If it sounds familiar to you despite the fact that Beethoven’s quartet are not that familiar it may be because the theme was used by the ‘Band of Brothers’ TV series.

(video source kidneykutter)

Beethoven may have heard this version put on notes by Ahron Beer in Berlin in 1765, here performed by René Schiffer & Mime Yamahiro-Brinkmann.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoWaBQZ78jA

(video source Andrey Granko)

Max Bruch’s ‘Kol Nidrei’ for Cello and Orchestra is op. 47 is probably the most famous piece of classical music inspired by the tune. Here is a variant I heard first time this year and especially liked – it belongs to Misch Maisky and was played at one of the concerts at the 300 years anniversary of Sankt Petersburg.

(video source Jew Man Group)

If (Jewish) humor risks to offend you skip this one and please forgive me, it’s Yom Kippur. If not, you are invited to watch the Jew Man Group in a rap “Kosher” remix of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”!

Judaism is alive, and in today’s world it does not belong only to synagogues of one flavor or another, it belongs to all Jews and is expressed in all forms that remind, preserve, enrich and transmit further our tradition.

Gmar Hatima Tova!