ILLUMINATION IIThe second album from the acclaimed international (Italy-Israel) Ensemble Nuria began taking shape duringthe disorienting lockdowns of Covid-19, and was born into the devastating reality of the Hamas-Israel war.The album 'Illumination II: Italian-Jewish Music of Solace and Hope' is a testament to the resilience andrelevance of Hebrew Liturgical Songs and Poems (known as 'Piyyutim'). Casting light on the enduringpower of these works to sustain hope and offer comfort to those who encounter them, the work on thisproject spanned over 3 years, due to the impossibility of maintaining continuous work during the Covidpandemic. The process of preparing this album offered to those involved a way to reconnect with stability,community, creativity, joy and inspiration, despite challenging circumstances of life in Israel under the isolationof lockdown and war. Timeless melodies which were born in the ghettos of Rome, Venice, Mantovaand Ferrara, these nearly vanished hidden treasures of haunting beauty are given a renewed voice in thisalbum. Without doubt it is the uniquely poignant nature of the works themselves which allows listeners toexperience the unabated power of this ancient music: The power to revive and to give solace and catharsis,to offer celebration, connection and community, just as the poets and musicians who created the wordsand melodies centuries ago intended. This nearly lost traditional music reveals itself here to be as powerfuland communicative in our tumultuous 21st century world as when it was first sung in the Jewish communitiesof Italy, hundreds of years ago.