Magen Solomon's San Francisco Choral Artists will join Veretski Pass to present Omens, Dreams, and Curses, featuring Yiddish and Ladino folk music, classical psalm settings, lullabies, and improvisations. For information about the June 15, 16, and 23 concerts, see the SFCA website.
The klezmer trio Veretski Pass — Cookie Segelstein, violin; Joshua Horowitz, tsimbl, accordion, piano; and Stuart Brotman, basy, tilinca, baraban — presents world premieres written for these concerts, including "Kloles," "Viglid," and "Malokhim," by Horowitz. These works are parts of a larger musical mystery play Lillith the Night Demon which the two organizations plan to perform together next spring. At the core of the play is the legend of Lillith who — according to Jewish superstition — is responsible for infant deaths.
In "Kloles," the soprano and bass parts form the chorale melody "O Sacred Head now wounded," while inner voices introduce extreme dissonance.
Eleanor Aversa and Mark Winges are contributing works to the concerts, and present preconcert talks. The program also includes Baroque works by Aldrich and Rossi, as well as two Baroque-style chorales and a fugue by Mendelssohn. As part of San Francisco Choral Artists’ continuing effort to promote American repertoire these concerts also feature works by Randall Thompson.