World premiere: "Hanukkah Blessings" by Nicholas Weininger; IOCSF's "Holidays with a Twist" 12/2/23

World premiere performance of "Hanukkah Blessings" (2022) by Nicholas Weininger (1978)
Performed live by IOCSF at "Holidays with a Twist" at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, San Francisco, December 2, 2023.

Zane Fiala, Artistic Director
Recording engineer: Zach Miley @zachmileyproductions

Text: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha- olam, asher kidshanu be mitzvotav vetsivanu lehadlik ner shel Chanukah.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha- olam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu ve ’imoteinu bayamim haheim bazman hazeh.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha- olam, shehecheyanu ve kiyimanu ve higiyanu lazman hazeh.

Translation: Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with mitzvot and commanded us to light the Hanukkah candle.
Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors in days of old at this season.
Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has given us life and sustained us and brought us to this season.

From the composer: This piece sets the three traditional Hebrew blessings said while lighting Hanukkah candles: two that are recited on each of the eight nights, and a third, the “Shehecheyanu,” that is recited only on the first night. While celebrating Hanukkah in 2022 with my family, it occurred to me that these blessings tell a dramatic story: of sanctification through memory, of miraculous deliverance, and finally of the even greater miracle of our continuing life, in the midst of wars, storms, and trials, that is worth celebrating every year and at every season. I have tried to give some sense of that drama and emotional weight in this setting. The fanfares on the majesty of God, in the initial formula which is common to all three blessings, contrast with more inward emotions that take shape as the narrative of the blessings evolves.