This year as in the past Red River Radio celebrates Passover with the following series of specials. We hope you and your family will enjoy.
Why This Night With Rabbi Ismar Schorsch: Airs Sunday, April 17, at 6 p.m. Larry Josephson, a secular Jew who now wants to know more about the religion of his grandparents, asks Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, to explain the meaning of Passover.
The Passover Story with the Western Winds: Airs Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. (so children can be with parents). Renowned actor Theodore Bikel and The Western Wind, America's pre-eminent vocal ensemble, present 25 eclectic selections that, along with an inspring narration, serve as musical documentary of Passover. Music includes Hebrew folk melodies, classical European liturgical music, ancient Sephardic chants, Klezmer-style improvisations, and traditional songs from the Seder. This program is designed for listeners of any religious background and provides a good introduction to a holiday whose lessons of redemption and faith are universal. "The music is an eclectic compilation of songs and compositions from many sources reflecting the tremendous diversity of Jewish cultures. Selections include Hebrew folk melodies, classical European liturgical music, ancient Sephardic chants, Klezmer-style improvisations, and traditional songs from the Seder, including the 'adopted' song of slavery, the Negro spiritual "Go Down Moses"--all sung with the superb musicianship and zest that are hallmarks of Western Wind performances." Miami Jewish Journal.
Passover Dreams: Airs Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m. (also for the children and adults). Fasten your seat belts and pass the chicken soup! Passover Dreams takes us from the Seder table to the edge of the universe. Audio magician Jim Metzner conjures up Albert Einstein, Frederick Douglass, Lenny Bruce and host of other Seder guests to plumb the depths of one of the world's oldest holidays in this Gabriel Award-winning program. The Layers of Passover's “Meaning Questions” are the tools that the Passover celebration offers as it urges us to dig deeper into our lives. Why is this night different from all other nights? What do we mean when we talk about the Promised Land? Peel away one layer and relive the flight with Moses from Egypt. Peel another layer and think about what that means for African Americans. Peel once more and see what it means in America today. For many people, America is the Promised Land. A Radio Seder Public Radio's veteran producer Jim Metzner offers a meditation on freedom and renewal marking 350 years of Jewish Life in America. Albert Einstein joins Emma Lazarus, Frederick Douglass, two modern rabbis (Joy Levitt and Jonathan Kligler), food critic Joan Nathan, and the spirit of Lenny Bruce. Members of Ulster County's Actors & Writers, including Melissa Leo and Mikhail Horowitz, are featured with Charles Turner as Frederick Douglass. Theodore Bikel hosts the program. Jim Metzner hosts our Seder of ideas, humor and music. Featuring the Music of: Travelling Jewish Theater (Golden Gate Gypsy Orchestra) Debby Freidman, The Journey Continues Alan Lomax archive The Harder They Come A Taste of Passover (New England Conservatory) Songs of Our Fathers, Statman & Grisman Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars Brotherhood of Brass Natalie Merchant's "The House Carpenter's Daughter" Matisyahu, Shake off the Dust The Music of Pesah at BJ (B'Nai Jesurun) Sweet Honey in the Rock Muzsikas Maramaros.
A Musical Feast for Passover with Itzhak Perlman: Airs Monday, April 25, at 1 p.m. The springtime Jewish holiday of Passover is about liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. In this one-hour special, superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman shares Passover music from many traditions, plus songs and memories from his childhood in Israel. The program draws its shape from the Passover seder and, like that ancient family ritual, the music gets progressively giddier as the show moves along.
Passover - A Time To Cross Over: Airs Tuesday, April 26, at 2 p.m. This Passover holiday special magazine celebrates the journey from slavery to freedom with segments featuring Emmy Award Winner Jeremy Piven; Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brookds; 'Kosher Gospel' singer Joshua Nelson;Iranian-born novelist Gina Nahai; "The Giant Leap", an original family radio play by the acclaimed Storahtelling; a moving piece about "Freedom Song", an original musical about a Passover meal written by recovering addicts; and more...Hosted by Arye Gross.
The Four Cups, A Celebration of Passover: Airs Wednesday, April 27, at 2 p.m. Violinist Itzhak Perlman and Klezmer Conservatory Band founder Hankus Netsky join WCRB's James David Jacobs to share music and memories of Passover from diverse traditions. The gathering together of Jews every springtime to retell the story of their flight from Egypt might be the longest-running yearly cultural event in the history of humankind, and one that has inspired many different musical traditions. The Four Cups: A Celebration of Passover explores the great variety of music that emerged from these traditions, and like the four cups of wine drunk during the Seder, the program is roughly divided into four sections. In the first segment Violinist Itzhak Perlman, Klezmer Conservatory Band founder Hankus Netsky and Cantor Yitzhak Meir Helfgot of Manhattan’s Park Avenue Synagogue, the three visionary artists of the hit Sony album Eternal Echoes, discuss and perform the prayer for dew, “T’filas Tal”, which addresses the roots of Passover as an agrarian ritual, excerpts of which we’ll also hear sung in a sampling of some of the historic recordings of legendary cantors of the early 20th century.