Kol Ami concert to feature Rosenberg

After a hiatus of several years, Congregation Kol Ami has decided to revive its classical concert series, and violist Joel Rosenberg will present the inaugural performance this week.

"Rabbi Frederick Wenger asked me to organize the first concert," Rosenberg said. It will be a benefit for the Kol Ami religious school, dedicated to the memory of Gladys Gladstone Rosenberg.

The focal point of the program will be a performance of "Nishmat Adam" ("The Soul of Man") by Austrian-American composer Robert Starer.

Starer, who isn't as well-known today as he perhaps deserves, was born in Vienna in 1924. At the age of 13, he was admitted to the Vienna Academy of Music. However, when Hitler annexed Austria in 1938, Starer went to Jerusalem, where he continued his studies.

He emigrated to the United States in 1947 and became a U.S. citizen 10 years later. After completing post-graduate work at Juilliard, Starer joined the faculty in 1949. He remained there until 1974.

A prolific composer, Starer has written for every medium, including three operas, several ballets for Martha Graham, orchestral works, a violin concerto that Itzhak Perlman recorded with the Boston Symphony, as well as a large body of chamber and vocal music.

Rosenberg said that the music of Starer, a traditionalist in style, tends to lean toward tonality. "He values the triad and his music is very melodic."

He added that the musical language of "Nishmat Adam" is typical for Starer's music in general. "It is a beautiful work and quite melodic." Philosophical in character, the work conveys a powerful message to Jews and non-Jews alike, Rosenberg said. "In 'Ishmat Adam,' Starer wanted to reflect on man in search of his soul, hence the title."

A key element in "Nishmat Adam" is Starer's musings on being a Jew in contemporary society, according to Rosenberg. "The piece centers on Starer's reflections on what it means to be a Jew in America today. He discusses how we are different and why, and where we have come from and where we are going."

The text for "Nishmat Adam" is drawn mainly from the Bible and the Talmud. "Starer also quotes Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice,' and he wrote the connecting passages between the work's (seven) movements," said Rosenberg.

Performing "Nishmat Adam" with Rosenberg will be pianist Jed Moss and soprano Julie Wright Costa. Rabbi Wenger will narrate.