Mizmor Shir by Cantor Azi Schwartz of Park Avenue Synagogue
A psalm, a song for Shabbat.
It is good to praise Adonai; to sing to Your name...
The righteous bloom like a date-palm;
they thrive like a cedar in Lebanon;
planted in the house of Adonai,
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are full of sap and freshness.
It is a good thing indeed to engage in prayer with a vibrant and dynamic community. When we sing together, we express emotions, connect to our roots, build deeper relationships, and give voice to our dreams. Through music we celebrate our past and invest in the future, constantly renewing and reinventing ourselves and our community. Our prayers are fruitful,
constantly freshened by new musical interpretations.
Park Avenue Synagogue has a long tradition of commissioning liturgical music, and we are proud to continue this tradition by inviting accomplished composers to write music for our services. Most of the music on this CD was composed in the past year. Our prayer services evolve with new liturgical settings that accommodate the musical sensibilities of our generation. From innovative instrumentations to a novel pace, from inclusion of our matriarchs to prayers in English, we build on our heritage and draw meaning from it. We are grateful to our community, to our talented and dedicated staff, and to the gifted musicians who partner in the sacred mission of writing the score for us and for future generations. We hope you will enjoy the melodies on this CD and sing along, so that our music will resonate within the walls of our synagogue and beyond.
Cantor Azi Schwartz
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove
Art Penn, Chairman
Melvin Schweitzer, Chair of Music Committee
August 2015 · Av 5775
Tracklist
| 1. | Yism’hu | 2:24 |
| 2. | Mizmor Shir | 1:57 |
| 3. | Adon Olam (Goldrich) | 1:58 |
| 4. | Avot | 3:37 |
| 5. | Adon Olam (Cohen) | 3:11 |
| 6. | Ata V’hartanu | 2:12 |
| 7. | V’shamru (Eldor) | 2:01 |
| 8. | Ahavah Rabbah | 2:43 |
| 9. | Adon Olam (Robinson) | 3:30 |
| 10. | Mi Shebeirakh | 2:52 |
| 11. | V’shamru (Enlow) | 2:39 |
| 12. | L’dor Va-dor | 2:41 |
| 13. | Or Zarua | 3:09 |
| 14. | Tov L’hodot | 2:57 |
| 15. | B’rikh Sh’meih | 8:12 |
| 16. | Avinu Malkeinu | 1:53 |
| 17. | Ein Keloheinu | 3:09 |
| 18. | Kiddush | 4:21 |
| 19. | Adon Olam | 2:13 |
| 20. | Zam’ru l’Adonai | 2:33 |
Credits
Choir
Soprano:
Danya Kotak
Emily Moore
Elisa Singer
Emily Werne
Alto:
Brooke Collins
Yonah Gershator
Janara Kellerman
Toby Newmann
Tenor:
Jhas Agosto
James Kennerley*
Donald Meineke
Joe Rubinstein
Bass:
Raphael Biran
Dominic Inferra
Elliot Levine
David Schmidt
Child soloist on tracks 14 & 17: Sofia Egol
Duet on track 12: Zina Goldrich
*Conductor on tracks 9 & 18
Band
Mike Cohen, woodwinds
Leo Grinhauz, cello
Andrew Zinsmeister, guitar
Danny Weller, bass
Alex Wyatt, percussion
Vitor Gonçalves, accordion
Production manager
Gil Smuskowitz
Recording engineer and audio editing
Doug Yoel
Mastering
Alan Silverman
Art Director
Sophy Wu
Photography
Karen Smul
Photography, page 5
Karen Cattan/Sugar Studio
Text editor
Marga Hirsch
Recorded
July 7, 8, 9, 2015 at Park Avenue Synagogue
License
All rights reserved.
Cantor Azi Schwartz is the Senior Cantor of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, and is a world-renowned vocal performer and recording artist whose music reaches Jewish and interfaith audiences internationally.
Azi has performed at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden; on PBS and on Richard Gere’s movie 'Norman'; and for Pope Francis.
He has released nine albums of Jewish liturgical music.