Meditation (Hirhur) for solo saxophone is a reflective and prayerful composition, which draws upon improvised modal inflections (maqam) that traditionally introduce (mawwal) the Moroccan-Jewish piyyut (sacred poem). Specifically, it is based on an introduction to the piyyut, “Koli L’yotzri” (My Voice to My Creator), whose overall atmosphere suggests a philosophical mindset, perhaps aptly expressed in the following verse from the psalms:
I will incline my ear to a parable, I will open my dark saying upon the harp (Ps 49:5).
אַטֶּה לְמָשָׁל אָזְנִי; אֶפְתַּח בְּכִנּוֹר, חִידָתִי
A free-flowing recitative, poetically narrative in character, through-composed in form, this instrumental monologue evolves as an expressive reflection upon themes of ultimate meaning and humanity, such as:
What profit a man of all his labor under the sun (Eccl 1:3).
מַה-יִּתְרוֹן, לָאָדָם: בְּכָל-עֲמָלוֹ–שֶׁיַּעֲמֹל, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ
Loosely structured in 4 extended phrases, recurring motifs repeat in various combinations and transformations throughout, but never exactly in the same way. Two of these phrases open on prolonged notes that tumble slowly downward in intricate tonal figurations (m. 1-10; 11-24). The others gradually climb upwards, rising in encircling stepwise designs, before finally coming to rest on a sustained cadence tone (m. 24-31; 32-40).
Max Stern is a distinguished composer in Israel who has created a genre of biblical compositions blending East and West with contemporary idioms.
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