Tuesday Nov. 25 2025 19:00

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Wilhelm-von-Humboldt-Saal Unter den Linden 8 10117 Berlin

As part of the exhibition “Sacredness materialized - Jewish book art in ritual context” at the Stabi Kulturwerk, curated by Dr. Annett Martini and Dr. Dana Eichhorst from the Institute for Jewish Studies, a special concert will take place on 25 November.

For half a millennium, Sephardic Jews lived in the Ottoman Empire. There, Ladino developed — the language of Sephardic Jews, comparable to the Yiddish of Ashkenazi Jews. Thousands of folk songs about love, holidays, and life events were composed in this language. After the First World War, this culture was at risk of disappearing.

The young composer Alberto Hemsi documented the musical culture of the Sephardim and refined old melodies. His Opus Magnum is the Coplas Sefardíes: 60 traditional songs with virtuosic piano accompaniment.

On this evening, the Jewish cantor Assaf Levitin and the pianist Na’aman Wagner will perform selected pieces and explain the song texts.

Admission is free. Please register here.