One of the most grown-up review sites around

2020
54,416 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here

     
  
 

 

International mailing


 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
Plain text for smartphones
and printers


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All APR reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

 

 

Support us financially by purchasing this disc from:

Jewish Spirits
Osvaldo GOLIJOV (b.1960)
The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind
for klezmer clarinet and string quartet (1994) [29:59]
Ernest BLOCH (1880-1959)
Jewish Life
[9:46]
Abodah [7:24]
Michel Lethiec (clarinet), Itamar Golan (piano), Artis Quartet (Peter Schuhmayer (violin I), Johannes Meissl (violin II), Herbert Kefer (viola), Othmar Müller (cello).
rec. live, Prades Pablo Casals Festival, Abbey of St. Michael of Cuxa, Spain, 5 August 2008 (Golijov); St Marcel Evangelical Church, Paris, France, 30 November 2011 (Bloch)
SAPHIR PRODUCTIONS LVC 1175 [47:32]

Experience Classicsonline



 
This disc is an opportunity to get to know the magic of klezmer in a classical music framework. It’s a rare chance since most klezmer is used on high days and holidays among Jews. It is also to be found reflecting suffering, nostalgia and sadness; in that sense performing a similar function to the blues or fado. There has been a resurgence of this music since the 1980s by which time it had almost disappeared. For anyone not already acquainted it will come as a surprise because it creates a different sound-world to what is usual in classical music. The great klezmer clarinettist Giora Feidman described klezmer as “an interpretation of art and life based not solely on Jewish folklore, but rather on a cosmopolitan divergence of musical genres”. By this he meant that all kinds of influences fed into the music much of which emanated from Bessarabia (part of Romania), where it absorbed Romanian folk music themes just as it did Bulgarian, Turkish and Hungarian as well as themes from other Central and Eastern European countries. In turn it exerted its influence on the music of those countries. The result is a rich musical soup that whilst immediately recognisable as Jewish also has discernible elements from these other musical cultures.
 
The Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov’s family were Jews from Eastern Europe. Throughout his childhood he came under the influence of this rich musical tradition so it is no surprise that he should want to incorporate klezmer in some of his compositions. Taking for inspiration the story of Cabalist rabbi Isaac the Blind (1160-1235), Golijov has written a work that uses klezmer melodies throughout. Divided into five movements it opens with a short prelude that is introduced by the string quartet and which creates a suitably sombre and reflective atmosphere. The clarinet joins in to take the central role and this prelude merges into the second movement marked agitato which it certainly is with the clarinet reproducing a moaning sound. The third movement, based upon an old klezmer song ‘The Old Klezmer Band’ is for dancing. After its introduction in a slow dirge-like mode it breaks out into a faster rhythmic meter. These two contrasting speeds then alternate.
 
Though I’ve tried to discover the answer I am still unsure whether the ‘klezmer clarinet’ is in any way different to a conventional one or whether it is more down to the method of playing. In any event it can in klezmer be hugely successful in creating both intensely sad sounds as well as riotously festive ones. In this composition the sad sounds are sometimes joined by the odd human moan emphasising the black mood. The fourth movement marked calmo is quite hauntingly beautiful and it merges into the postlude that closes the composition.
 
Written in 1924, Ernest Bloch’s three movement Jewish Life for cello and piano opens with Prayer. This sets a suitably serious note with the clarinet taking the place of the cello. The second and third movements entitled Supplication and Jewish Song, are very evocative with sad melodies reflecting long centuries of hardship and persecution. In 1929 Bloch composed the final work on the disc, Abodah for violin and piano. This is an arrangement of a Yom Kippur melody and was given its première by the young Yehudi Menuhin. Working equally well on clarinet it is yet another sad tune. Both these compositions embody the Jewish spirit which has survived despite the odds.
 
The serious and reflective nature of these compositions is perfectly captured by the clarinettist Michel Lethiec who is extremely well supported by The Artis Quartet and pianist Itamar Golan.
 
This is a very unusual but fascinating disc that will be of interest to klezmer enthusiasts and would serve as an interesting and instructive introduction for those who have not come across it. Once discovered the music is infectious. There are many discs available that contain a good cross-section of not just serious but highly exuberant and exciting klezmer.
 
Steve Arloff 

Support us financially by purchasing this disc from:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Pat and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.