Re: Celtic shmeltic

[JKelly.esq <nannor...>]

Ari,

I have worn out my video tape of "In the Fiddler's House" from watching
it so often.  I must have viewed it at least 50 times.  It is extremely
well done and I feel extremely "pc" in presenting the music in a
documentary format.  I was somewhat agreeing with the writer of the
original message about Riverdance and was adding Fiddler on the Roof to
the generalization. I feel that both works somewhat trivialize the music
buy putting it in such overly sentamentalized vehicles.  The ethnomusic
heritage of both curltures is of such vitality and richness that they
need no "window dressing", as was done in these two schmaltzy
productions. The quality stands alone.  One wonders if "Roof Dance" is a
coming inevitability!

On a different note, I have a question about klezmer music.  Coming from
a fiddle tradition, I have recently been studying and attempting to play
some klezmer music.  I have run accross "Bulgar" and "Freylach".  Are
these two different styles of music (as in a jig or a reel) or are they
names of particular pieces?

jk


Ari Davidow wrote:
> 
> >Riverdance  -- Fiddler on the Roof...  What's the difference?
> >Schmaltz is Schmaltz
> 
> Possibly true, but in this case we're talking about four
> klezmer bands playing with Itzhak Perlman, the show being
> called "In the Fiddler's House." It =is= quite a bit
> staged, but what I've heard has been quite nice ... even
> if Perlman is close to, but not quite playing klez.
> 
> ari