Michigan pianist David Syme has played Chopin in Warsaw, Tchaikovsky in Moscow and “Amazing Grace” in a Kentucky Baptist church.
Son of one rabbi and brother of another, the Juilliard graduate spent the early part of his career consciously moving away from his roots, working as a classical pianist, rock band member and radio host. He made his Detroit Symphony debut at age 18.
“I didn’t want to explore Jewish music,” he has said. “I thought I was unique in my rebellion but I found that Jewish history is filled with examples of people leaving the nest in order to find their identity.”
Now in his mid-40s, Syme has come home, marrying his classical training with the traditions of his people in a one-man show, “Jewish Roots and the Classics,” which he performs at synagogues and JCCs nationwide.
His CD “Jewish Music Then and Now” amplifies that theme. Part of a discography that encompasses everything from Gershwin to love songs to rock (one recording has the intriguing title, “Pumping Ivory”), his piano arrangements run the gamut from classic to klezmer.
The entire first half of the recording is a delight. Then, for some reason, pianist Syme decides to sing. Big mistake. His vocal rendition of the High Holy Day prayer “Avinu Malkenu” is sincere but we’ve all heard it done better in shul.
Next up is his brother, Rabbi Robert Syme, on the folk song “Tum Balalaika.” Unfortunately Robert’s singing skills are not sufficient to save the day either. With their duet, “L’Maancha,” the recording really bogs down and, by the time we get to “Dos Yiddishe Lied,” the longest selection on the disc, again with Robert Syme, we are grateful for the fast-forward button on the remote.
Now for the good news. Chicago cantor-composer Jeff Klepper’s beautiful “Oseh Shalom,” while retaining its liturgical quality, makes you want to get up and dance. There is also an oompah-pah beer-barrel arrangement of “Tsena, Tsena” replete with hand-clapping and whoops of enthusiasm from the backup musicians, and the traditional Yiddish “Oifn Pripetchok” played as a waltz. Debbie Friedman’s “L’Chi Lach” falls somewhere between Frederic Chopin and Wyndham Hill.
The lengthy classical variations on “Ma’Oz Tsur” (known in the Reform tradition as the Chanukah hymn “Rock of Ages”) showcase the pianist-arranger’s greatest strengths .
Initially stated as a resounding chorale, the melody undergoes a series of Mozartian baroque ornamentations, then turns to Beethoven, thunders out in the accents of Liszt and ends with a touch of Chopin and a little Schumann for good measure.
The recording concludes on a high note as Syme explores the dynamic possibilities of “Kol Nidre” with moving results.