Fwd: MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR 2 YIDDISH EVENTS

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

>
> From: Zmmlotek (at) aol(dot)com
> Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 09:25:28 EDT




>
> Exciting opportunity  this coming TUESDAY NIGHT May 14th ..at the 
> WC building.
>
> Russian Yiddish vocal quartet Ashkenazim
> one night only, Tuesday, May 14th at 7 PM, FREE performance 
> At the Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
> 45 East 33rd Street (at Park Avenue South)
> New York City
> This ensemble, comprised of four young singers, performs largely a cappella 
> vocal arrangements of classic and newly composed Yiddish songs.  Bringing 
> extraordinary musicianship, cultural authenticity and creativity to the new 
> Jewish song movement, the ensemble Ashkenazim, is a rare thrill to hear. The
> leader of the group, Paulina Achkenazi is among this generation's most 
> talented composers and arrangers of new Yiddish music. Possessing a high
> level musical artistry, the ensemble pays close attention to detail and to
> the 
> Yiddish text is extraordinary.
>
> The group also represents a new and exciting phenomenon in world Jewish 
> culture, the rebirth of cultural creativity in the communities of the former 
> Soviet Union. Through the efforts of the Jewish Community Development Fund
> for Russia and the Ukraine ( a division of American Jewish World Service)
> Yiddish music training and professional development opportunities have been
> planted in Jewish communities throughout the territories of the former soviet
> Union. The Ensemble Ashkenazim are among the finest fruits of that investment
> in nurturing Jewish creativity in what was the heartland of Yiddish culture. 
>  
> Spread the word about this rare appearance by this group. Performance free
> and open to the public.
>
> For additional information:  phone 212.889-6800, ext. 270 or 271.
>
> This special appearance is made possible through the generosity of 
> The Forward Association, (Sam Norich, General Manager, and Barney Zumoff,
> President)The Forward (Yiddish and Russian editions)
> and is presented under the auspices of The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
> The ensemble will be presented by Adrienne Cooper, Director of the Center for
> Cultural Jewish Life, Zalmen Mlotek, Director of Arts Programming of the
> Workmen's Circle and Martin Horwitz, Jewish Community Development Fund for
> Russia and the Ukraine.
>  
> THE BEST OF GOLDFADEN
>  
> FOLKSBIENE YIDDISH THEATRE 
>  
> MAY 20, 7 PM, THEATRE FOUR (424 West 55th Street)
>  
> CALL (212) 213-2120 to RESERVE NOW!
> =========================================
>  
> GOLDFADEN OPERETTAS GET RARE AIRING AT FOLKSBIENE YIDDISH THEATRE'S 
> SPRING STAGED READING SERIES ON MAY 20
>
> The final offering of the Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre's new Spring Staged
> Reading Series will be an evening of early Yiddish operetta c. 1880 by the
> pioneer of the genre, Abraham Goldfaden. 
>  
> The one-night-only event, entitled "The Best of Goldfaden," 
> takes place at Theater Four, 424 West 55th Street (between 9th and 10th
> Avenues) on Monday, May 20 at 7 PM.  Tickets are $15.  To order in advance
> call (212) 213-2120.
>
> The founder of the modern Yiddish theatre, Goldfaden was revered not only for
> the many popular plays he wrote but also for the many lovely songs he poured
> into them. 
> Excerpts from three of his best-known operettas -- DI BOBE YAKHNE 
> (1879), SHULAMITH (1880), and BAR KOKHBA (1883) -- will be performed with
> musical accompaniment directed and arranged by the world-recognized conductor
> and Yiddish musicologist, Zalmen Mlotek, Folksbiene's executive director.  
>
> Currently celebrating its 86th consecutive season, the Folksbiene Yiddish 
> Theatre is America's only permanent professional Yiddish theatre.
>  
> Zalmen Mlotek has assembled a stellar cast featuring Nell Snaidas
> (internationally-known concert soprano), Richard Slade (Western Wind),
> Yiddish theatre legends Mina Bern and Shifra Lerer, and young Yiddish actors
> Yelena Shmulenson, Allen Rickman, and Julie Alexander.
>  
> In 1882, this was the first Yiddish play performed on the Lower East Side and
> starred Boris Tomashevsky, who was still a boy soprano.
> In the 1879 folk operetta DI BOBE YAKHNE ("The Witch") a poor orphan girl is
> persecuted not only by her wicked stepmother but also by a witch.  A 
> good-humored and adventurous peddler intercedes on the poor girl's behalf and
> helps her to miraculously foil the machinations of all those conspiring 
> against her. 
> The 1880 Biblical operetta SHULAMITH, which contains the haunting lullaby
> "Raisins and Almonds," is a lyrical romance set in an idealized version of
> ancient Palestine.  When the lover Avisholem forgets and breaks his sacred
> vow to Shulamith, terrible consequences befall them.  While they are reunited
> amid great rejoicing, each has suffered a painful loss of innocence as they
> learn the shortcomings of love without duty.
>
> BAR KOKHBA, a historical operetta from 1883, weaves the story of a love 
> affair with the tragic outcome of the Jews' revolt against the Romans.  Bar 
> Kokhba, the warrior remembered for his defiance of the Roman armies, is in 
> love with Dina.  When she sacrifices her life for the uprising, the warrior 
> confronts the hollowness of a victory of the soul when measured against the 
> loss of a war.
>
> Shalom
>  
> Sherry Bigelisen
> Assistant Editor
> B'nai B'rith Today
> <mailto:bbcom (at) erols(dot)com>bbcom (at) erols(dot)com



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