Zane Zalis: I Beleive - An Oratorio For Humanity
Kelsey Cowie, Jean-Pierre Ouellet, Marko Zeiler, Bayer Philharmoniker, Solitude-Chor Stuttgart, Chor der Konzertgesellschaft Wuppertal, Leverkusener Kinder und Jugendchor, Bernhard Steiner
A fine live recording of Zalis’s account of the Holocaust. The lyrical score and Broadway-style vocals make for a modern, accessible work.
Zane Zalis: I Beleive - An Oratorio For Humanity
Kelsey Cowie, Jean-Pierre Ouellet, Marko Zeiler, Bayer Philharmoniker, Solitude-Chor Stuttgart, Chor der Konzertgesellschaft Wuppertal, Leverkusener Kinder und Jugendchor, Bernhard Steiner
Purchase product
A fine live recording of Zalis’s account of the Holocaust. The lyrical score and Broadway-style vocals make for a modern, accessible work.
About
Canadian composer Zane Zalis' Oratorio 'I Believe' is a symphonic contemporary oratorio and has been performed to sell out audiences in Winnipeg, Stuttgart, Toronto and New York and to date has been seen by about 20,000 people. i believe is a concert work about the Holocaust. Using music and words, a story of hate, survival and hope is told from within the minds of the victims and perpetrators. It is a singular large scale work divided into 12 movements using the artistic forces of a symphony orchestra, large mixed chorus, childrens chorus, ensembles, soloists and narrator. The artistic architecture is influenced by a host of sources all in service to capture the essence of a story that needs to be told, in a plea for awareness, understanding and peace. The Holocaust encompasses simultaneously the most depraved human behaviour and the most sublime human behaviour; it is complex and simple; universal and particular. It is not to be forgotten nor should its import be diluted in any manner. The Holocaust is a telling commentary about humanity by humanity and thus it is important and necessary to share this most human story of despair and hope with our communities and especially our youth.
Contents and tracklist
- Kelsey Cowie, Jean-Pierre Ouellet, Marko Zeiler
- Bayer Philharmoniker, Solitude-Chor Stuttgart, Chor der Konzertgesellschaft Wuppertal, Leverkusener Kinder und Jugendchor
- Bernhard Steiner
Awards and reviews
April 2020
A fine live recording of Zalis’s account of the Holocaust. The lyrical score and Broadway-style vocals make for a modern, accessible work.
March/April 2020
Zalis is a fine orchestrator. Even at their most dense, textures never crowd and, thanks both to conductor and recording producer, we hear every line clearly. There is not one trace of smudging or obfuscation. The control of the extended crescendo that opens “Freedom” (Freisein, the 10th movement) is remarkable. The conductor, Bernhard Steiner, always ensures rhythms are sprung, accents are attended to, and the chorus and orchestra are impeccably together (try the rhythmic demands of the closing section of “Numbers”).
