On the Occasion of the Yahrzeit: Yossi Green Speaks About a Unique Composition

Legendary composer Yossi Green speaks about the piece "Tahar," performed by Avraham Fried, on the occasion of the yahrzeit of Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol, one of the Ten Martyrs. (Singles and clips) 10 10 0:00 / 8:39

Yossi Green: From the piyyutim of the Musaf prayer on Yom Kippur comes one of the most powerful stories and most moving events in Jewish history, the story of the Ten Martyrs. The Romans decreed that ten of the greatest Jewish Talmudic sages of all time would be put to a horrific death. One of them, Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha Kohen Gadol, was chosen by his colleagues to ascend to heaven and determine whether the decree could be annulled. In his encounter with the angel Gabriel, he inquired about the possibility of canceling the decree. The painful and unequivocal answer was that the decree was existential and would have to stand.

The setting of this unique text to music, and Avraham Fried's performance with the heart-rending pathos and the resonant interpretation he displayed, remain, and will always remain, one of the most brilliant performances in this genre of all time. The interpretive arrangement and orchestration of this piece by the unmatched Moshe Laufer completed the trio of Fried, Green, and Laufer.

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