Notes and Editorial Reviews
This fascinating collection of Jewish cabaret, popular, and political songs contains 26 numbers divided into four groups: From the Periphery to the Habsburg Metropole; The Crisis of Tradition and Modernity; Response and Resistance (Political Songs); and finally, Zionist and Pioneer Songs. Stylistically, the music ranges from the simplest strophic "folk" ballad to such exquisite settings as Friedrich Holländer's Eine kleine Sehnsucht, or Darius Milhaud's Brasilian-flavored arrangement of Holem Tza'adi. Indeed, the list of composers represented is quite striking. In addition to the expected names, such as Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler, and alongside the long-forgotten or anonymous, you also find Arnold Schoenberg (two of his
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Bettl-Lieder), Stefan Wolpe, Aaron Copland, Paul Dessau, and even Irving Berlin. Better still, this two-for-the-price-of-one set not only includes extensive booklet notes and complete texts and translations, but all of the German/Yiddish numbers are repeated on Disc 2 in English, allowing the words to be understood in context.
Now none of this would matter, of course, unless the singers took unusual care over matters of diction, and indeed every word registers with crystalline clarity. While laudable in itself, and marvelously done by mezzo Julia Bentley and soprano Deborah Bard, you might find baritone Stewart Figa a bit too eager to lapse into a Rex Harrison-like Sprechstimme, however authentic this stylistic conceit might be. Still, there's little to quibble about with respect to the vocals, and the musical arrangements by New Budapest Orpheum Society musical director Ilya Levinson sound absolutely marvelous (Cedille's state-of-the-art recording doesn't hurt either). To do this release justice, a review would have to be much longer than space allows here, and readers interested in this sort of project surely know who they are. To them this will be self-recommending. So let me conclude by saying this: More than a "classical" or "crossover" production, this set defies easy categorization. There's a world of history and culture hidden in this innocent-looking collection of songs from the first half of the 20th century, and you don't have to be Jewish to relish their richness.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Viennese Coachman's Song by Gustav Pick
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: Romantic
Written: Austria
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
2.
...Nach Grosswardein by Hermann Rosenzweig
Performer:
Deborah Bard (Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: Romantic
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
3.
The Jewish Country Regiment by Carl Lorens
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: Romantic
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
4.
Levin and Hirsch and Cohn by Traditional
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
5.
The Kosher Mishpoche! by Traditional
Performer:
Deborah Bard (Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
6.
Jewish Coachman's Song by Gustav Pick
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: Romantic
Written: Austria
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
7.
Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars by Irving Berlin
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; USA
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
8.
Love Song to a Proletarian Girl by Gerhard Bronner
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
9.
Schmafu Couplet by Adolph Müller
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: Romantic
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
10.
Do a Little Dreaming by Frederick Holländer
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
11.
From Head to Toe I Am Prepared for Love by Frederick Holländer
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
12.
Cabaret Songs: Gigerlette by Arnold Schoenberg
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1901
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
13.
Cabaret Songs: Mahnung by Arnold Schoenberg
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1901; Vienna, Austria
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
14.
The Haman Coachman's Song by Gustav Pick
Performer:
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: Romantic
Written: Austria
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
15.
Kuhle Wampe, Op. 27: Ballade von der "Judenhure" Marie Sander by Hanns Eisler
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1931; Germany
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
16.
Der Graben by Hanns Eisler
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1928
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
17.
Kuhle Wampe, Op. 27: Solidaritätslied by Hanns Eisler
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1931; Germany
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
18.
An den kleinen Radioapparat by Hanns Eisler
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
19.
Und es sind die finstern Zeiten by Hanns Eisler
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1954
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Ilya Levinson
20.
Havu L'venim by Mordecai Zaira
Performer:
Deborah Bard (Soprano),
Stewart Figa (Baritone)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: Hebrew
Notes: Arranged: Kurt Weill
21.
Hine Achal'la Bachalili by Mordecai Zaira
Performer:
Elizabeth Ko (Flute),
Deborah Bard (Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: Hebrew
Notes: Arranged: Paul Dessau
22.
Gam Hayom by Shalom Postolsky
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: Hebrew
Notes: Arranged: Darius Milhaud
23.
Holem Tza'adi by Mordecai Zaira
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: Hebrew
Notes: Arranged: Darius Milhaud
24.
Ra'inu Amalenu by Shalom Postolsky
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: Hebrew
Notes: Arranged: Stefan Wolpe
25.
Ba'a M'nucha by Daniel Sambursky
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: Hebrew
Notes: Arranged: Kurt Weill
26.
Banu by Joel Walbe
Performer:
Julia Bentley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ilya Levinson
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Budapest Orpheum Society
Period: 20th Century
Language: Hebrew
Notes: Arranged: Aaron Copland
Sound Samples
Wiener Fiakerlied: Viennese Coachman's Song, ""
Nach Grosswardein: (To Grosswardein)
Der judische Landsturm (The Jewish Country Regiment): Der judische Landsturm (The Jewish Country Regiment
Der Leb, der Hersch und der Kohn
Cohen Owes Me 97 Dollars: Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars
Liebeslied an ein Proletariermadchen
Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt
Brettl-Lieder: Gigerlette
Ballade von der Judenhure Marie Sanders
An den kleinen Radioapparat, "Du kleiner Kasten, den ich fluchtend trug": An den kleinen Radioapparat
Und es sind die finstren Zeiten
2 Folksongs of the New Palestine: Havu L'venim
Holem tsuadi - Gam hayom, Op. 179: Gam Hayom
Holem tsuadi - Gam hayom, Op. 179: Holem Tza'adi
2 Folksongs of the New Palestine: Ba'a M'nucha
Der judische Landsturm (The Jewish Country Regiment): The Jewish Country Regiment
Levin and Hirsch and Cohn
Cohen Owes Me 97 Dollars: Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars
Love Song to a Proletarian Girl
From Head to Toe I Am Prepared for Love: From Head to Toe I am Prepared for Love
Brettl-Lieder: Gigerlette
The Haman' Coachman's Song
Ballade von der Judenhure Marie Sanders: Ballad of the Jewish Whore, Marie Sanders
Solidaritatslied: Solidarity Song
And the Times are Dark and Fearful
2 Folksongs of the New Palestine: Bring the Bricks
2 Folksongs of the New Palestine: There Comes Peace
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