Yitzhak Yedid performs Shabbat Baqashot

I've posted about Baqashot before, but not quite like this. According to the Sephardic Pizmonim Project, "[t]he Baqashot (or "bakashot", שירת הבקשות) are a collection of supplications, songs, and prayers that have been sung by the Sephardic Aleppian Jewish community and other congregations for centuries each week on Shabbat (Sabbath) morning from midnight until dawn. Usually they are recited during the weeks of winter, when the nights are much longer. The duration of the services is usually about four hours. This presentation of baqashot is a (shorter than four hour) performance by Israeli pianist Yitzhak Yedid who somehow manages to conjure the tonal qualities of an oud out of a piano. It's quite lovely.

Yitzhak Yedid performs Bakashot of Shabbat in Australia


If you'd like to hear some authentic baqashot recordings, the Sephardic Pizmonim Project has a nice starter set online and an 11 CD set available for purchase. You can find Yedid's recordings at AllMusic.com among other sources.

Hat Tip to YouTube user AlanBreat for posting the video.