From the composer's notes: "El Male Rachamim (God, full of mercy) takes its title from both the poem by Yehuda Amichai and the litany that inspired it. The Jewish funeral prayer recited by the hazzan accompanies the ascension of the soul and is used to evoke the memory of the deceased. My response for solo piano, written to the memory of Gyorgy Ligeti, takes a narrative approach to the text. It is cast in five sections that flow continuously with little pause."

A fascination with polycultural synergy between diverse literary texts drives the inspiration for much of Mohammed FairouzÂ's prodigious creative output, including instrumental music as well as vocal. In his profound and extensive essay preceding the score, Fairouz sheds light on how Edgar Allen PoeÂ's 'Israfel' relates to the prophets and prophesies of the Quran, Old Testament, and New Testament. The eight-movement quartet may be heard as a dramatic gallery of portraits and of story-telling, flourishing in a post-traditional language that is at once vernacular and spiritual, Middle Eastern and Western. The complete set of score and parts is included in this publication. Dur.: 25'