Zohar

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, in celebration of the 100th birthday of Robert Shaw, commissioned Leshnoff for an oratorio to be premiered on a program that also included the Brahms Requiem. Leshnoff purposely created the antithesis of the Brahms, an "ecstatic embrace of the living." Based on the Zohar, the foundational text of Jewish mysticism, the oratorio runs 25 minutes and features long lyrical passages for the soprano and baritone soli. "The Zohar is extremely profound, dealing with the most basic and deepest issues of Judaism and life," Leshnoff wrote. "I barely understand its surface level, but even that inspires me to the core of my being." The composer discusses the work on YouTube.