V’sham’ru - Abraham Dunajewsky (Arr. Stephen Glass)

Featuring Cantor Gideon Zelermyer and the Shaar Hashomayim Choir (dir. Conor O'Neil)
The people of Israel shall keep Shabbat, observing Shabbat throughout the ages as a covenant for all time. It shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel, for in six days God made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day God ceased from work and was refreshed.
A most mystical and sublime textual interpretation, the first section of the piece alternates between unison and harmonised phrases sung by the choir. These create an air of intense religiosity and devotion, befitting the biblical command from the Torah. The Cantor's first entry is not until "Ki Sheishet Yamim," emphasizing the personal relationship between God and the children of Israel. The music reaches its climax at the phrase “et hashamayim” before a serene and gentle depiction of the day of rest “uvayom hash’vi’i.” The composition closes with a gentle fugal passage leading to the return of the cantor for a sublime and extremely gentle expression of “He ceased work and refreshed Himself.”