"The Three Cantors" - Central Synagogue August 08

“Three Cantors Concert” conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. “From Jerusalem to Broadway”. Shimon Farkas – Bondi; Dov Farkas – Caulfield Hebrew; Alex Stein – Calgary, Canada. Wed 20 Aug 08

Central Synagogue was almost unrecognizable, being dramatically transformed for the purpose of the ten year anniversary of the new building after the terrible fire in 1995 which destroyed the original shule on the site. History has proven that adversity can be the mother of innovation … ensuring viability and even expansion, something which is rare in religion these days.

The front of the synagogue was turned into an enormous concert platform up to but not including the bimah. Hence the laterally place musicians only just had enough clearance under the overhang of the upstairs section (they are used to cramped work-places). And there were perhaps 50 in the “Sydney International Orchestra”, conducted by American maestro Marvin Hamlisch. He has a huge Wikipedia entry which reads like a latter day, longer-lived (Jewish) W. A. Mozart.

The concert proper started with a medley of music by Irving Berlin (who also wrote "I’m dreaming of a white Christmas" - which they tactully omitted). The medley was boisterous and rhythmic with a brief staccato solo for clarinet imitating the saxophone. Next the vocals commenced with the rondo version of ‘Oseh shalom bimromav’ as the tune was bounced from one tenor to another as if it were a football on the field. Alex Stein, Shimon Farkas and Dov Farkas were all in excellent voice. The former seemed to push the voice at times yet the other two (father and son) were comfortable in their range. Each has a distinctively individual vocal character with particular and parallel prodigious talents. All have amazing breath control and could take a note seemingly to infinity.

Shimon Farkas is a true man of the theatre and it was his ‘dream’ to have such an event which he told us as the orchestra quietly introduced “Dream the impossible dream” from Man of Lamancha in an arrangement by Tommy Tycho.

In another orchestral interlude we had Marvin Hamlisch on the piano with Scott Joplin in his own arrangement of ‘The Sting’ music. He made an unnecessary gag about Paul Newman and Robert Redford being in the cast and that HE was the understudy for both!

The three cantors were joined in the last number before intermission by Yehuda Niasoff who led the Hassidic Kaddish on a haunting Hungarian theme. This is sung at numerous points in the liturgical calendar including Sechilot if I recall correctly. They used the Ashkenazic pronunciation to keep in character.

The interval was a ‘meet and greet’ session for perhaps 1500 community members, an opportunity to catch up. A benefit of the octagonal design of the synagogue is that one can see the faces of at least half the congregation without even turning one’s head. It was a credit to the Jewish community that when the orchestra played the national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, almost everybody knew the words (a legacy of John Howard, perhaps).

Some of the ‘banter’ between songs was a little ‘light-weight’ while a bland ‘commercial’ for one of the sponsors was over the top. The mention of a ‘ham sandwich’ lacked tact in an orthodox shule. But the audience seemed to enjoy it all and many knew the words of the songs and sang along. All were asked to join in some pieces, including the Toreador song from Carmen. What few in the audience probably knew is that the words of Carmen were co-authored by a Jew, Ludovic Halevy, the nephew of the composer of La Juive.

If I were forced to criticise the evening it would be that a true concert might have had the tenors in front of the orchestra and without microphones or amplification. I would not have covered the ark or bimah but highlighted them (one shule member commented that the bimah had been made into a giant mixing platform!). The ark, curtain and scrolls were all covered by a black full-length material with unrealistic illuminated stars.

It was touching that up to 50 volunteers were quietly allowed into the auditorium for some of the program, leaving others to do security and preparation work outside in the large foyers and function rooms. There would have been 1500 people in the synagogue by my estimation with nearly all seats sold (at the last minute some friends bought ‘restricted view’ positions dead centre but with some obstruction from the bimah platform. Some side and front seats were left empty as they would have had no view of the proceedings. As a goodwill gesture the residents of Bon Accord Avenue were all invited and many accepted. In most cases it was the first time they had seen the inside of the synagogue.

The official party, led by Governor Marie Bashir, entered with some ceremony in the upstairs section. Nearby were Frank Lowy, Harry Triguboff and many other prominent Australians.
The evening was a great success and a tribute to new shule president Paul Keen, Rabbi Levy Wolff, the artists and staff who managed to pull off this event. It brought people in from far and wide and re-introduced many to the synagogue, Jewish music and this proud and traditional community.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Travel blog: http://ajbtravels.blogspot.com/

John Pinchas Cargher RIP.

Mr John Cargher 1919-2008 [Published in Australian Jewish News]

Australia has lost a great musical ambassador with the death of John Cargher on Wednesday 30 April 2008 at his home in Melbourne aged 89. He was a self-taught expert and critic on voices, composers, opera and classical music generally. His 'Singers of Renown' has been a Saturday afternoon fixture on ABC Radio for forty two years. I listened avidly to his broadcasts whenever I could and they often raised discussions between family and friends.

I only knew John from his occasional outings to the opera in Sydney and from numerous email exchanges. Many in Melbourne knew John personally from his involvement in record stores and theatrical exploits from 1951 when he arrived from London. Yet it was his broadcasting which took his softly spoken European accent and his personality into homes across Australia and beyond. His father Jacob was a rabbinical student in London where John was born. He was raised in Germany and Spain due to the illness and early death of his German mother. John then returned to London as a teenager to learn a trade and also attend operas and concerts in cheap seats.

John’s choice of items was always novel as were his eclectic commentaries between them. Even many non-opera people know John's signature tune, the 'nostalgia' duet from Il Tabarro with Mario del Monaco and Renata Tebaldi. This glorious and previously obscure piece of soaring Puccini is now probably the most often broadcast opera excerpt in the world after more than 2000 programs. Dame Joan Hammond also popularised a famous aria from this Puccini Trittico masterpiece "Oh mio babino caro".

Even up to recent weeks John was still making his pre-recorded weekly broadcasts, despite some repeats due to illness. On the week of his death the ABC replayed a program from the 1990s featuring Verdi’s opera Ernani with excerpts from the 78 era to the present day. While personally favouring the great baritone arias, he played a vastly varied selection from the last castrato to strained falsettos and booming basses. My own favourite ‘oddities’ were the delightfully drunk soprano song, the famous pussy-cat duet "Miaou" and the tone-deaf Florence Foster Jenkins. He avoided the temptation to showcase Callas, Sutherland and Pavarotti who he played infrequently. Other century greats he played included Gigli, Tucker, Di Stefano, Schmit, Warren, dal Monti, Ponselle, Muzio and Caruso. His historical notes often included how the Second World War affected careers and lives of individuals. He often mentioned the cantorial tradition and occasionally mentioned his Jewish roots.

John Cargher wrote numerous books popularising classical music and he was made a member of the Order of Australia for his services to music and the theatre. His wry wit, profound knowledge and occasional exposed mistake will always be remembered by this listener. Rest in peace. May his passing inspire others to such heights. He leaves his second wife, Robyn Walton and daughter Penelope.

[Written by Sydney addictions physician and opera critic Andrew Byrne]