Abraham Lichtenstein's Songs. A Concert Accompanying the "Stettin/Szczecin - One History" Exhibition

Watch it online: "Abraham Lichtenstein's Songs", a concert accompanying the temporary exhibition presented in the National Museum in Szczecin at Wały Chrobrego.

 

"(…) his teacher Felix Schmidet told about him that Lichtenstein's voice had never been paralelled in scale and melody before. The famous Szczecin composer Carl Loewe is said to have frequently listened to this talented cator's singing in the old synagogue." 

This memory was noted by Jacob Peiser in his "Historia Gminy Żydowskiej w Szczecinie (The History of the Jewish Community in Szczecin)”. Abraham Lichtenstein (1806-1880) was the most famous and the most valued cantor of all times of the Szczecin synagogue. He performed there in years 1833-1847. Both Carl Loewe and a famous composer of that time Louis Lewandowski left memories of his outstanding voice. "With every single note sung by Mr. Lichtenstein, the admiration of the public was growing and until he sang Veshameru [they shall keep the Sabbath] nobody even dared to breathe."

In another passage it has been recorded that Lichtenstein was an extraordinary artist of great knowledge which enabled him to transform old decorative synagogue singings into spiritualised melodies. Powerful expression in singing, vigorous and warm-hearted temperament and honesty of feelings heard in the music were said to attract to the Szczecin synagogue even followers of other religions every Shabbat. Will we be able to recapture what happened in the hearts of the listeners?

We managed to obtain several surviving manuscripts with the songs composed and performed by Abraham Lichtenstein. We asked composer Adam Porębski from The Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław for scoring five of them. Melodies by Lichtenstein have been enriched by organ accompaniment and choral parts. We invited DON DIRI DON Children's Choir of West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin directed by Dariusz Dyczewski to perform them. In this way, after nearly two centuries, the music of Szczecin's most renown cantor will return here!

Isidoro Abramowicz – cantor

Jakub Stefek – organ

Chór Dziecięcy Zachodniopomorskiego Uniwersytetu Technologicznego DON DIRI DON (Children's Choir of West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin)

Dariusz Dyczewski – director

Including: Abraham Lichtenstein / Adam Porębski – "Synagogen Melodien” (world premiere)

The concert will be livestreamed on our Facebook page.

The concert is an event accompanying the exhibition "Stettin/Szczecin - One History. Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries from the Collection of The National Museum in Szczecin" available in The National Museum in Szczecin at Wały Chrobrego from Tuesday to Sunday between 12:00 at noon and 6:00 P.M.