A Night At The Met,Naomi Klass Mauer

"Breathtaking, magnificent, unbelievable" and many more adjectives were used to describe the performance by Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot at the Metropolitan Opera this past Sunday night. But none of the words can really convey what those of us in the audience felt. Four thousand people were witness to history in the making, when Cantors World presented three hours of Cantor Helfgot singing at the Met to the accompaniment of The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and The New York Cantorial Philharmonic Chorus. Not since the late Richard Tucker's funeral has the Metropolitan Opera had a Chazzan singing on its stage.

As Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, former chief Rabbi of Israel, said, music is the language of the soul and chazanut is the language of the Jewish soul. Cantor Helfgot really speaks directly to our souls. He has a voice that comes along perhaps once in a generation.

He also has a sincerity about him that adds a very special ingredient to his magnificent voice. Some of the pieces literally lifted us out of our seats. The woman next to me, said, "it sends chills through my body."

The evening was a celebration of 100 years of chazanut in America. Conductor Dr. Mordechai Sobol, aside from conducting, also served as the narrator of the evening. Before each piece he gave us a little history of its origins and the cantor of the past who made it famous. In telling about each particular prayer, Dr. Sobol gave us a wonderful history of some of the greatest cantors of the last century, including Rosenblatt, Koussevitzky, and Kwartin to name a few. This introduction made the selections even more meaningful.

One of the highlights of the evening was when Cantor Helfgot started singing Hashem Z'charenu and then we saw and heard on the video screen the late great Cantor Yossale Rosenblatt singing part of the same prayer and then Helfgot picked up and finished it.

Another very exciting moment took place when Cantor Helfgot sang Nessun Dorma from Turandot in Italian, with the guest conductor, Maestro Matthew Lazar.

All of us in the audience were surprised when a young boy came onstage to sing a part together with the Chazzan. Dr. Sobol referred to him as a "Veyimaleh boy," as he sang that part of the prayer in Av Harachamim that asks Hashem to fulfill our prayers.

Yosef Schick sang in a sweet, strong voice and was remarkably poised for so young a person.

Cantors World started by Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky and Charlie Birnhaut has been doing a remarkable job of bringing Chazanut back to a public, that by all indications has been thirsting for it. Judging by the sold out crowds at each event, there is a very strong desire for this music.

Guest of Honor Yossi Peleg-Billig remarked on the fact that many people do not understand every word of our prayers and they count on the sweet voice of the chazzan to bring our prayers before the heavenly throne. That certainly holds true for me. While I do understand our prayers, my Kavana is heightened when my Chazzan, Pinchas Cohen leads our shul in prayer. I always picture the words floating straight up to heaven on his beautiful voice.

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau kept the audience spellbound when he told us a dramatic story that occurred during the first Lebanon war in 1982. I noticed the members of the Philharmonic orchestra listening just as intently as we were.

There were many magical components to the night, not the least of which was the beautiful setting of the New York Metropolitan Opera House. But perhaps the greatest accomplishment that Cantors World achieves with these events is the unity among all of the assembled. It makes no difference if one is Chassidic or Yeshivish or Litvish or Sephardic or Orthodox or secular, all the Jews sat together and thrilled as one to the soul stirring voice of Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot.

To Charlie Birnhaut, Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky and to the concert Chairperson, the very special Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilk we all owe a debt of gratitude for a night we will long remember.

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