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Milken Archive

Milken Archive - Klezmer Concertos And Encores

$10.99 Only 3 left

Details

Composer
VARIOUS
Artist
Pablo, Aslan
Format
CD
Label
Milken Archive
Released
Sep 01, 2003
Catalog #
8559403
UPC
636943940327

About

Robert Starer's K'li zemer concerto will be a surprise to anyone who associates the term with weddings and bar mitzvahs. Actually the Yiddish klezmer (instrumental musician) is a contraction of k'li zemer, which, translated literally from the Hebrew, means "instrument of song". That is precisely what Starer makes of the clarinet in this beautifully melodic work (quite a surprise given the composer's usual acerbic style). The tunes, all of Starer's invention, are based on Eastern European Jewish music, and each provides a rich harmonic framework for the clarinet's wonderfully virtuosic explorations.


Paul Schoenfield's long-standing desire "to create entertaining music that could be played at Hassidic gatherings as well as the concert hall" finds fulfillment in his Klezmer Rondos--a concerto for flute, tenor, and orchestra. The opening's raucous band music comes to an abrupt stop as the flute's sustained high note introduces the plaintive main theme. After a series of contentious exchanges between flute (skillfully rendered by Scott Goff) and orchestra, the band music returns, this time halted by the tenor's sustained high note, which in turn becomes Schoenfield's setting of the Yiddish poem Mirele (sung with wit and tenderness by Alberto Mizrahi). It's a marvelously effective piece that, although steeped in elements of Jewish ritual, can be enjoyed by all listeners.


Next come two brief pieces by Jacob Weinberg, The Maypole and Canzonetta, which are colorful explorations of Yiddish and Hassidic folk melodies, while Abraham Ellstein's tuneful Hassidic Dance for clarinet and orchestra presents a rhapsodic evocation of traditional Jewish ceremonies.


The final piece, Osvaldo Golijov's Rocketekya, scored for clarinet, violin, electric viola, and contrabass, is closest to what most listeners will know as Klezmer--a high-spirited, rhythmically and melodically exotic celebration. David Krakauer's highly imaginative and technically assured playing greatly enlivens the clarinet works, while Gerard Schwarz leads energetic and sensitive accompaniments with both the Seattle and Barcelona orchestras. The recordings all have fine presence, clarity, and impact.
--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

Click here to view all available releases in the Milken Archive Series at ArkivMusic.

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 T'fillot (Prayers) 08:05
    Track
    1
    Title
    T'fillot (Prayers)
    Duration
    08:05
    Composer
    Robert Starer
    Performer
    David Krakauer
    Ensemble
    Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  2. 2 Rikkudim (Dances) 06:26
    Track
    2
    Title
    Rikkudim (Dances)
    Duration
    06:26
    Composer
    Robert Starer
    Performer
    David Krakauer
    Ensemble
    Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  3. 3 Manginot (Melodies) 05:05
    Track
    3
    Title
    Manginot (Melodies)
    Duration
    05:05
    Composer
    Robert Starer
    Performer
    David Krakauer
    Ensemble
    Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  4. 4 Hakdashot (Dedications) 07:16
    Track
    4
    Title
    Hakdashot (Dedications)
    Duration
    07:16
    Composer
    Robert Starer
    Performer
    David Krakauer
    Ensemble
    Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  5. 5 I. -- 13:07
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. --
    Duration
    13:07
    Composer
    Paul Schoenfeld
    Performer
    Alberto Mizrahi, Scott Goff
    Ensemble
    Seattle Symphony
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  6. 6 II. -- 09:42
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. --
    Duration
    09:42
    Composer
    Paul Schoenfeld
    Performer
    Alberto Mizrahi, Scott Goff
    Ensemble
    Seattle Symphony
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  7. 7 The Maypole 01:36
    Track
    7
    Title
    The Maypole
    Duration
    01:36
    Composer
    Jacob Weinberg
    Performer
    David Krakauer
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  8. 8 Canzonetta 02:34
    Track
    8
    Title
    Canzonetta
    Duration
    02:34
    Composer
    Jacob Weinberg
    Performer
    David Krakauer
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  9. 9 Hassidic Dance 05:07
    Track
    9
    Title
    Hassidic Dance
    Duration
    05:07
    Composer
    Abraham Ellstein
    Performer
    David Krakauer
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gerard Schwarz
  10. 10 Rocketeyka 07:38
    Track
    10
    Title
    Rocketeyka
    Duration
    07:38
    Composer
    Osvaldo Golijov
    Performer
    David Krakauer, Alicia Svigals, Martha Mooke, Pablo Aslan