PROJECT : ENCORE™: Baritone

A golem is a creature from Jewish folklore, made from mud or clay and brought to life through a Kabbalistic ceremony. The Golem Psalms is a choral cantata for baritone solo, SATB chorus and orchestra based on the 16th Century legend of the Golem of Prague where Rabbi Lowe created a Golem as a protector for the Jewish people. The cantata is structured as a series of 7 tableaus inspired by the story with a libretto, written for this work, by Dr.

Rio was composed in November 1993 for a workshop given by the BBC Singers at the Royal Academy of Music. It was subsequently selected by them for performance at the RAM’s ‘Schnittke at 60’ festival in March 1994, following which the work was revised. The premiere performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in November 1994, along with an interview with the composer. Rio later secured an honourable mention in the 1995 contemporary choral composition competition administered by the Roger Wagner Center for choral studies, California State University, Los Angeles.

 Inspired by Gregorian Chat "Benedicta es" for the International Josquin Conference at Princeton University 1999