https://youtu.be/aKeDH1S-NJ0# Yehe Shemeh Rabba | London and Gibraltar Melodies The twentieth century was not, for the most part, one that smiled on cantorial innovation within the Spanish and Portuguese congregation of London. This, in contrast to the preceding 250 years, which had seen the incorporation of a considerable number of additions to the community’s musical canon from a variety of sources.Hazzan Eliezer Abinun (z’l) often shared with me his professional and artistic frustration at not being allowed to introduce melodies to augment the London repertoire, particularly those that he had learned during his childhood and early adulthood in Sarajevo. Abraham Beniso felt similarly constrained when he served Bevis Marks as the Assistant Hazzan. (By the way, throughout his all too brief career with the congregation, he told me that he never found out who it was that he was supposed to be assisting.) Indeed, it was not until Mr Beniso ceased being on the payroll of the community that he felt at liberty to introduce material from his native Gibraltar, which he had the opportunity to do on his occasional visits to London.The present recording is one of his innovations. It deftly interlaces two melodies with entirely separate provenances. The first is a traditional London Kaddish tune in a madrigal style and the second is the Gibraltar melody for ‘Kol Sasson’. The fusion is both seamless and musically satisfying.Please like and share.