Baruch Berliner’s “El Maleh Rachamim” Premieres in a Version for Harpsichord and Flute
On August 28, the walls of Fort No. 1, “Stein,” will resonate with the sounds of a historic harpsichord and delicate flute.
The featured programme, Dialogues Across the Ages, spans works separated by centuries and written by very different composers, yet each imbued with passion and a profound love of art. The concert will present works by classics—Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, and Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia—alongside music by contemporary composers Mikhail Arkadiev and Baruch Berliner. As part of the performance, Dr. Berliner’s “El Maleh Rachamim” (“Merciful God”) will receive its premiere in a version for harpsichord and flute.
“El Maleh Rachamim” is the soundtrack to The Address on the Wall, a film about the World War II tragedy of Babi Yar. Composed by Baruch Berliner, Nachum Slutzker, and Sergey Krutsenko (RIP), the composition draws on the traditional Jewish memorial prayer. The composition is also part of the Holocaust memorial project of the same name, www.elmalehrachamim.com, for which various musicians and orchestras record their own versions of the work to pay tribute to those who perished.
The work by Dr. Berliner will be performed by winners of international competitions Ksenia Avramenko (flute) and Evgeny Avramenko (harpsichord).
A prizewinner at the International Competition in Vladivostok (2005), Ms. Avramenko served as a player with the Khabarovsk Philharmonic (2004–2005), a lecturer at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus, Syria (2005–2006), and a teacher at the Russian Cultural Centre in Damascus, Syria (2007–2009).
Principal organist at the Church of St. Anthony’s in Damascus from 2005 to 2008, Mr. Avramenko has been the titular organist of the Kaliningrad Cathedral since 2016. He is a member of the Association of Organists and Organ Builders within the International Union of Musicians and one of the founders of the Russian Organ Community.
Produced by Nachum Slutzker, General Manager of Baruch Berliner’s Genesis International Project