Notes and Editorial Reviews
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
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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
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Works on This Recording
1.
Kli Zemer by Robert Starer
Performer:
David Krakauer (Clarinet)
Conductor:
Gerard Schwarz
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: USA
Date of Recording: 01/2000
Venue: Sant Cugat Culture Centre, Barcelona
Length: 26 Minutes 52 Secs.
2.
Klezmer Rondos for Flute, Male Vocalist and Orchestra by Paul Schoenfield
Performer:
Scott Goff (Flute),
Alberto Mizrahi (Tenor)
Conductor:
Gerard Schwarz
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1986; USA
Date of Recording: 06/1998
Venue: Benaroya Hall, Seattle, Washington
Length: 22 Minutes 49 Secs.
3.
The Maypole by Jacob Weinberg
Performer:
David Krakauer (Clarinet)
Conductor:
Gerard Schwarz
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Date of Recording: 05/1999
Venue: Christ Church, Berlin, Germany
Length: 1 Minutes 36 Secs.
4.
Canzonetta by Jacob Weinberg
Performer:
David Krakauer (Clarinet)
Conductor:
Gerard Schwarz
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Venue: Christ Church, Berlin, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 34 Secs.
5.
Hassidic Dance by Abraham Ellstein
Performer:
David Krakauer (Clarinet)
Conductor:
Gerard Schwarz
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: USA
Date of Recording: 05/1999
Venue: Christ Church, Berlin, Germany
Length: 5 Minutes 7 Secs.
6.
Rocketkya by Osvaldo Golijov
Performer:
Pablo Aslan (Double Bass),
Martha Mooke (Electric Viola),
Alicia Svigas (Violin),
David Krakauer (Clarinet)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1998; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2001
Venue: American Academy of Arts & Letters, NYC
Length: 7 Minutes 38 Secs.
Sound Samples
K'li Zemer: T'fillot (Prayers)
K'li Zemer: Rikkudim (Dances)
K'li Zemer: Manginot (Melodies)
K'li Zemer: Hakdashot (Dedications)
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