Here is a beautiful Adir Hu, a Passover Seder standard, sung in the Sephardi tradition by two remarkable performers.
I met Singer/Classical Guitarist/Producer/Scholar, Gerard Edery, in the late 90’s at my seminary in NYC. He was exploring the opportunities in becoming an ordained cantor and sat in on a few classes. He had just published his esteemed publication, Sephardic Songbook, and I purchased a copy from him after a class. I could immediately see his remarkable passion for Sephardi music.
He did not continue in the direction of a Cantorial ordination, however, you will soon understand the level of his commitment to sharing, performing and educating others as to the beauty of the Sephardic Jews’ musical tradition. Here is some select information from his extensive bio:
“Singer, guitarist and recording artist Gerard Edery, is recognized as a leading musical folklorist, a master singer and guitarist with a remarkable range of ethnic folk styles and traditions at his command. He is a recipient of many awards and grants including The Sephardic Musical Heritage Award.
Gerard regularly performs in concert halls and festivals throughout the world including Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall), Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Fez International Festival of Sacred Music, Festival Cervantino, Vilnius and Warsaw International Folk Festivals.
He also founded Sefarad Records, which produces recordings and live concerts of ethnic folk music from a remarkably diverse repertoire spanning many centuries and cultures. He has released 16 CDs on the label as well as the much acclaimed Sephardic Songbook.”
Maria Krupovstrova, who also performs on this video, has a remarkable story that needs to be shared:
Maria Krupoves says she was moved by the words of a French philosopher who wrote that there is nothing to do about the Holocaust except share the grief and mourn the victims together. Her way of sharing and mourning is to sing the songs of the ghetto.
A native of Lithuania, Krupoves sings in 20 languages and speaks six fluently. She started singing Russian romances while studying Russian language and literature at Vilnius University, also recording songs in Polish, the language spoken in her home, as well as in Belarusian and Lithuanian.
It was when she learned that her grandparents had aided Lithuanian Jews during World War II that she became interested in Jewish music and songs, although she is not Jewish. Krupoves has recorded many Yiddish songs throughout her career. “I had friends whose parents still spoke Yiddish; they taught me my first Yiddish songs. When I sang them to my mother, she cried, recalling her Jewish friends who disappeared during the war.”
About today’s selection, Adir Hu proclaims the attributes of God in alphabetical order, as in adir for the letter aleph, bachur for the second letter, bet….and continuing forward with splendid attributes starting with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Most seder table songs are designed to go on and on, as in the song, The Wheels on the Bus, or One Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall, with alphabetical or numerical clues to keep you moving through the stanzas in order.
These Passover table songs are meant to be sung after the meal when no one is in a hurry to depart from a festive table, filled with sumptuous foods, sweet wine, good company and rich traditions.
Adir Hu can be found in every traditional Haggadah, towards the back, amongst the seder songs collection:
