Leonard Bernstein's Kaddish Symphony

Performed from Highland Park’s Ravinia Festival, Great Performances presents legendary composer Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish symphony featuring the talent of Uniting Voices (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir), Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Led by famed conductor and Bernstein protégé Marin Alsop, the work includes music and spoken narrative segments voiced by narrator Jaye Ladymore (“Chicago Med”) and sung by soprano soloist Janai Brugger (Great Performances at the Met: Medea). Recorded July 2022, the symphony examines questions of humanity and faith, exploring the complicated nature of a higher power who governs mortality. Great Performances: Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony premieres Monday, August 21 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/gperf and the PBS App.

Talent:

• Marin Alsop – Conductor
• Janai Brugger – Soprano Soloist
• Jaye Ladymore – Narrator
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Chicago Symphony Chorus
• Uniting Voices (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir)
• Leonard Bernstein – Composer
• Matthew Diamond – Television Director

Noteworthy Facts:

• Originally composed in 1963, composer Leonard Bernstein made revisions to his Kaddish symphony in 1977 which included some cuts, rewrites of both the music and spoken text, and allowed for the speaker to be either a man or woman.
• In the Jewish religion, the Kaddish is the name of the prayer chanted at funerals and at synagogue services, yet there’s no mention of death in the prayer. Instead, it mentions “life” three times. In his symphony, Bernstein plays on the prayer’s dualism: Its reputation as a requiem, and its celebration of life in both the music and spoken text.
• The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has been a regular guest at the Ravinia Festival since 1905 and made it its summer residence in 1936. Each year, the orchestra headlines more than a dozen concerts over six weeks.