Album insights
Louis Lewandowski, a pioneering figure in modern Jewish liturgical music, merged Western music traditions with Jewish synagogue singing through innovative reforms. Influenced significantly by Mendelssohn, Lewandowski's work broke traditions, allowing for the inclusion of mixed choirs and organs in synagogues. The “Eighteen Liturgical Psalms” from 1879, a groundbreaking collection, recently received its world premiere recording by the Hungarian Radio Choir under the guidance of Andor Izsák. During its creation, Lewandowski’s composition challenged norms by presenting the Hebrew psalms in German, a move considered radical at the time. The renowned conductor Izsák oversaw the resurrection of the lost manuscript for a new edition by Breitkopf & Härtel and now leads this historic first recording, captured in the legendary Studio 6 of the Hungarian Radio in Budapest, inaugurated back in 1935.