The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) has put together a medley of Passover songs on YouTube to help lighten the mood and bring joy to the Jewish community, as everyone has been instructed to stay home for the holiday.
Members of the IPO, who are all in home isolation themselves, weren't able to record the medley together as a group, and instead each of the 20 musicians featured in the video, submitted self-recordings of their sections to compose the final medley, to be arranged into one piece by the IPO’s trombonist Micha Davis.
The video opens with a special message from IPO’s incoming Music Director Lahav Shani, reaching out to the viewers as, "Dear Friends," and continues with, "Even though we're celebrating Passover alone at home this year, the IPO and I, who miss you very much, have prepared something special for you this year."
The video continues, with the musical medley starting with an instrumental version of the traditional Passover song, Ma Nishtana, famous for the phrase, 'why is this night different than all other nights, and flows into an arrangement of other tunes.
Other than the obvious answer to why this year is different than all other years, perhaps also, what's different is it's not often that the Philharmonic Orchestra members aren't seen off stage. Following the global trend of musicians performing from their living rooms, the musicians have managed to create a warming piece to help the community in celebrating the holiday, and one musician even plays with his baby along side him.