Passover begins on Saturday, April 12 at sundown, and Jews in our region and around the world will gather for a Seder, commemorating the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Join us on WRTI to hear music for Passover and learn more about this festive holiday.
Our celebration begins on Saturday morning, when classical host Mike Bolton brings you Passover-related music including Ernest Bloch’s From Jewish Life, composed in 1924 and performed by cellist Edgar Moreau; the prayer from the Seder scene of Fromental Halévy’s opera La Juive; and more.
Itzhak Perlman shares his heartwarming memories of Passover seders in our annual broadcast of A Musical Feast for Passover from 5 to 6 p.m. The Passover Story with Theodore Bikel (recorded before his passing in 2015) and vocal ensemble The Western Wind will air from 9 to 10 p.m. on the classical stream/WRTI HD-2, presenting 25 eclectic selections that serve as a musical documentary of Passover.
The following day, join host Meg Bragle during Sunday Classical from 3 to 5 p.m., to hear more Passover music — including Jewish Baroque composer Salamone Rossi’s The Songs of Solomon, two settings of psalms from the Song of Songs, composed in 1623. Meg has a special connection with this music; she directed and performed it at Penn Live Arts in 2023.
We wish all of our listeners celebrating Passover a Happy Pesach!