Jewish Culture and Hebrew Language in Luciano Berio’s Music: A Survey

The dialogue with Jewish culture holds a prominent position in Luciano Berio’s music and writings, and yet it has neither been addressed in a systematic way nor investigated in its multiple ramifications. This article offers a thorough investigation of many aspects of this dialogue and shows how Luciano Berio’s interaction with certain aspects of the Jewish tradition is closely connected with some of his main poetic and compositional concerns: his research into sound, including the experimentation with live electronics; his attention to gesture and its theatrical meaning; his fondness for certain kinds of vocality and his exploration of folk music; his elective affinity with poets whose radical language reflects on central issues of human history and experience. The universalising trait that unites all these aspects responds to Berio’s vision of the world around him and offers insights on the special treatment reserved by Berio for the universe of Jewish culture.