Very excited to present the gorgeous Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch for cello and orchestra with yours truly, Steve Lewis and the Medical Arts Symphony.

Bruch's Kol Nidrei was one of the first pieces he composed when he took up his post as Principal Conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. It was composed for Liverpool’s Jewish community and takes its inspiration from two traditional Hebrew melodies.

The first melody in the opening cello lines originates from the traditional Jewish service on the night of Yom Kippur; second subject of the piece is quoted from the middle section of Isaac Nathan's arrangement of "O Weep for Those that Wept on Babel's Stream", a lyric which was penned by Lord Byron in his collection Hebrew Melodies.

A common misconception about Bruch is that he was a Jewish composer. He was actually a Protestant Christian – but he was greatly inspired by Old Testament stories and by his own modern-day friendships with a number of prominent Jewish musicians. While some commentators have criticized the lack of Jewish sentiment in Bruch's concert-hall Kol Nidrei, Bruch never presumed to write Jewish music. He only wished to incorporate Jewish inspirations into his own compositions.

Aside from the Violin Concerto No. 1, Kol Nidrei is Bruch’s most frequently performed piece. Sumptuous, rich cello writing and the glorious support of the orchestral accompaniment secure this work's place amongst the titans of other great composers.