From Jewish Life - Works for Cello & Piano

 

 

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This is a very interesting recital, and a very good one too. However a reviewer's first job is to make it a little clearer than the disc's producers have done exactly what it consists of. Bruch's Kol Nidrei and Bernstein's Mass are orchestral works, for one thing, but the former and the two Meditations from the latter are given here in cello/piano arrangements for no stated reason, although economy is probably a good guess. Again, the general title of the disc `From Jewish Life' is the title of a set of pieces (included here) by Bloch. As an overall title it describes the contents of the disc accurately enough, provided that nobody buys it in the expectation of some sentimental wallow along the lines of Fiddler on the Roof. You will find traditional Jewish melodies here, you will find Schutschewsky and Schedrin, and of course you will find the most famous Jewish piece that any gentile ever wrote. Bruch was no more Jewish than he was Scottish, but he had a genius for using traditional material in his own way, although it has no pretentions to being `authentic'. However you will be spared anything along the lines of `Traditions', and you will find an interesting selection of Bloch, including his very early cello sonata, seemingly recorded here for the first time.

The recorded quality strikes me as excellent, with a very good and even balance between the instruments, and I recommend a comparatively high volume setting to hear their tone to best effect. The performers are new to me, and they seem admirable, both individually and as a sympathetic partnership. One interesting question is who did the arranging of the piano parts, and although we are told that John Lenehan created the `accompaniments' for the traditional songs it is only guesswork to suppose that the other arrangements are his work too.

Paul Marleyn has done the liner note, and obviously this makes it valuable. However he has not yet really got the hang of writing a liner note. May I direct his attention to how Andrew Manze goes about the matter, Manze being as adept at writing liner material as he is with his violin. For instance, Marleyn follows the performing sequence of the pieces in his commentary with the result that we learn about Bloch's sonata near the start, while the general background on Bloch comes 2 pages further on. There is also a reference to Klezmer songs, and perhaps he might have enlightened gentiles as to what or who Klezmer is or was.

A little research will obviously clarify these issues, but in our modern convenience culture we tend to expect our information served to us on a tray, and not unreasonably either, all the facilities for providing it being to hand. I bought the disc simply because I happened to spot it in the course of looking for a version of Kol Nidrei. It has brought me some unfamiliar music outstandingly well and sympathetically played, but it is a reasonable assumption from the title that it is meant to appeal in the first place to the community whose culture it celebrates, and I hope they find it as enjoyable as I have done.

This is a very interesting and beautiful collection of music,of whatever religion one may be.Beautifully played and a pleasure to listen to.

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