Marin Alsop Conducts Bernstein’S Kaddish

Bernstein's Kaddish Symphony is a monumental three-movement work that sets the ancient Jewish prayer of mourning—the Kaddish—against a contemporary spiritual crisis. The symphony weaves together orchestral music, chorus, and a speaking/singing narrator who engages in an anguished dialogue with the divine. Rather than offering consolation, the work presents a protagonist wrestling with faith, doubt, and the meaning of loss in the modern world. The Kaddish prayer, traditionally recited by mourners, becomes a vehicle for existential questioning and spiritual struggle. Bernstein's ambitious score combines symphonic grandeur with intimate vocal passages, creating a deeply personal yet universal meditation on grief, transcendence, and the human need to find meaning in suffering. The work stands as one of the most significant American symphonic compositions of the twentieth century.