Benjamin Lees (1924-2010): Symphony No. 4, “Memorial Candles”
James Buswell (violin)
Kimball Wheeler (mezzo-soprano)
Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra
Theodore Kuchar (conductor)
Tracklisting:
Symphony No. 4, “Memorial Candles”
1. I Visitations (Slow, Unhurried) 'Someone Blew the Shofar' (20:44)
2. II Manifestations (Steady Tempo) 'Footsteps' (25:25)
3. III Transcendence (Calm, Unhurried) 'But Who Emptied Your Shoes of Sand' (15:32)

Benjamin Lees is well-known for his, extraordinary musical canvasses and works featuring concertante group and orchestra. His most personal work is the Symphony No, 4 “Memorial Candles”, to texts by Nobel Prize winning poet Nelly Sachs. Written to commemorate the Holocaust, Lees combines voice and the violin (the “soul” instrument of Central and Eastern Europe) in a stunning, powerful hour-long work.
Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Kimball Wheeler, who performed the work in Israel and America, sings Sachs’ poetic interpretation of the Nazi Holocaust, while internationally respected violinist James Buswell provides the violin “soul”:
Released 1999.