Posted on: March 22, 2015
Marc Lavry was introduced to Yemenite music by singer Bracha Zefira for whom he wrote numerous arrangements. They collaborated on many performances and recordings. Lavry loved Zefira’s voice, her musicality, and was especially influenced by her repertoire.
The third movement of Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1, Opus 201, is based on the song “Ta’am Haman” (the Taste of the Manna), which Bracha Zefira presented to Lavry.
In 1950, about four years after he composed the Concerto, Lavry arranged the song for orchestra and recorded it with Zefira. Interestingly, Lavry used the orchestration from the Piano Concerto for this recording.
