THE ROAD OF PROMISE

Mastervoices | Ted Sperling, conductor

with Orchestra of St. Luke’s

 

Kurt Weill, composer

Franz Werfel, librettist

 

OVERVIEW

 

THE ROAD OF PROMISE represents a concert adaptation of Kurt Weill’s 1937 opera-oratorio The Eternal Road. Performed by members of the New York City-based performing arts organization MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale), under the baton of Ted Sperling, this pseudo-allegorical work was conceived by European Jewish emigrants in the US as an attempt to inform the American public about Adolf Hitler’s persecution of German Jews. The storyline is set in a synagogue on a night of fearful waiting during the “timeless night of Israel’s persecution.” The Rabbi comforts his congregation by recounting for them iconic stories from Jewish scripture. These biblical scenes unfold through spoken dialogue, arias, ensemble pieces, and a chorus, and bounces between the Rabbi’s ‘present day’ conversations with his congregants and dramatizations of different Torahic stories.

 

A particularly interesting aesthetic facet of THE ROAD OF PROMISE is the use of references to popular music in the dramatizations of Torahic stories. Latin-esque rhythms in At the Mountain, from Act 1 and Ruth the Moabite from Act II, demonstrate the seemingly motivated choice by Weill to draw clear parallels between the plight suffered by Jews in these stories and the situation in late-1930’s Germany. The work represents one of the few positive and/or sympathetic portrayals of Jews in opera or oratorio, from the seventeenth century to the present.

 

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HIGHLIGHTS

 

The Eternal Road premiered in New York City in 1937, and ran for 153 performances

 

The recording captures the energy and vibrancy of MasterVoices’ live performances of The Road of Promise in Carnegie Hall in May 2015

 

Formerly The Collegiate Chorale, MasterVoices is a performing arts organization that celebrates singing and the art of musical storytelling. Founded 75 years ago by legendary conductor Robert Shaw, the organization is one of the jewels of NYC cultural institutions

 

Ted Sperling is the Artistic Director for MasterVoices and Principal Conductor of the Westchester Philharmonic. A multi-faceted artist, he has won both Tony and Drama Desk Awards for orchestration and music direction, and has many Broadway credits, including most notably Music Director for The Light in the Piazza, The King and I, and Fiddler on the Roof

 

Orchestra of St. Luke’s is one of America’s most versatile and distinguished orchestras, regularly collaborating with the world’s greatest artists and performing approximately 80 concerts each year—including its Carnegie Hall Orchestra Series, Chamber Music Series at The Morgan Library & Museum and Brooklyn Museum, and the Caramoor Summer Season

 

The album features soloists Anthony Dean Griffey, Mark Delavan, Ron Rifkin, Eli Tokash, AJ Glueckert, Lauren Michelle, Megan Marino, Justin Hopkins, Philip Cutlip, Michael Slattery, Sean Fallen, and Jose Pietri-Coimbre

 

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CREDITS

 

MasterVoices and Orchestra of St. Luke’s |  Ted Sperling, conductor

Ed Harsh, concert adaptation; Ludwig Lewisohn, William A. Drake, Charles Alan,

Kelley Rourke, english translations; Noam Sheriff, additional orchestrations

 

Anthony Dean Griffey, the Rabbi; Mark Delavan, Abraham/Moses; Ron Rifkin, the Adversary; Eli Tokash, the Thirteen-Year-Old Boy; AJ Glueckert, Jacob/Boaz/David/Isaiah/Hananiah; Lauren Michelle, Rachel/Soul of Moses/Naomi; Megan Marino, Miriam/Ruth; Justin Hopkins, the Dark Angel; Philip Cutlip, Joseph/Solomon/Jeremiah; Michael Slattery, the Voice; Sean Fallen, Angel #1; Jose Pietri-Coimbre, Angel #2

 

 

This recording was made possible by financial support from the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.

 

Additional funding made possible by The National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Kaplen Foundation, The Nash Family Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, and the Eugene and Emily Grant Family Foundation.

 

MasterVoices, formerly The Collegiate Chorale, also wishes to thank the following individuals for their support of this project:

 

​Page AshleySusan L. Baker and Michael R. LynchNancy and Robert BeckerCandace and Frederick BeineckeMarsilia BoyleRoxanne BrandtNoreen BuckfireDonald Crawshaw and Matthew HoffmanSusan DrammMr. and Mrs. David GottesmanBernard GrovemanMichèle HalpernNancy and Neil HumphreysKelly and Andre HunterDeborah InnesBruce C. JohnsonAndrew and Katy KaplanBarney KarpfingerSeth KlarmanSahra T. LeseBarbara and Robert LibermanLawrence K. MadisonDeborah and Jason McManusMrs. Vivian MilsteinRima Ayas and Ronald MooreRochelle and Paul NelsonMr. and Mrs. Morris OffitBruce D. PatrickElaine PetschekRobert ReichsteinMs. Sandra P. RoseNancy and Ernst RotheChristie Salomon and Richard LombardPeter Shaerf and Betsy ScherlHelen ShinJoan and Michael SteinbergDeborah StilesNicki and Harold TannerEleanor and Michael UrkowitzAdam WalinskySusan and Kenneth L. WallachElaine and Alan WeilerAnna and Kenneth ZankelCecile and Ezra ZilkhaAnonymous (2)

 

Recorded live May 6 & 7, 2015 at Carnegie Hall, in New York City NY

Concert produced by MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale)

Conducted and Directed by Ted Sperling

Producer Edward Barnes

Lighting Design by Frances Aronson

Projection Design by Wendall I. Harrington

 

All tracks published by © 2012 by European American Music Corporation

 

Executive Producer Bob Lord

Executive A&R Sam Renshaw

A&R Chris Robinson

Audio Director Jeff LeRoy

Mastering Shaun Michaud

Production Engineer Nate Hunter, Lucas Paquette

Art & Production Director Brett Picknell

Graphic Designer Emily Roulo, Ryan Harrison

Marketing Mike Mahn

 

 

Release Date: November 18, 2016

Catalog #: NV6059

 

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TRACK INFO

 

Kurt Weill, composer   Franz Werfel, librettist

 

PART 1

 

1  1. The Covenant

Abraham, The Voice

 

2  2. Sacrifice of Isaac

Abraham, The Voice

 

3  3. Jacob and Rachel

The Voice, Jacob, Rachel

 

4  4. Joseph and His Brothers

Joseph’s Brothers, Two Angels, Jacob, Joseph

 

5  5. Moses in Egypt

Miriam, Moses

 

6  6. At the Mountain

Idol Worshipper

 

7  7. In the Wilderness

Moses

 

8  8. The Promised Land

Moses, The Voice, Two Angels, Soul of Moses

 

 

PART 2

 

1  9. Ruth the Moabite

Naomi, Ruth, Boaz

 

2  10. King David

David, Dark Angel

 

3  11. The Building of the Temple

David, Ruth, Solomon

 

4  12. Two Prophets

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Idol Merchant

 

5  13. Zedekiah’s Decision

Hananiah, Jeremiah, Rachel

 

6  14. A Vision

The Voice

 

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