Leonard Bernstein at 100

Estelle Parsons to front HV Philharmonic for Bernstein’s Kaddish

Posted April 8, 2016

Estelle Parsons to front Hudson Valley Philharmonic for Bernstein's Kaddish by John Burdick

Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, has lent its complex themes and functions, as well as its title, to at least two monumental achievements of 20th-century Western art: Allen Ginsberg's best poem and Leonard Bernstein's ambitious, tense and dramatic third symphony with spoken-word narration and a vast choral component. As to the former, read Ginsberg's devastating lament for his mother, Naomi, if you haven't. As to the latter, the Bardavon continues the Hudson Valley Philharmonic's 56th season with a performance of Bernstein's Kaddish on Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m.