More Early Music - Klezmer Style

[R.A.S. <richards...>]

Dear Fellow Listers,

I hope those of you long familiar with Joshua Horowitz's work with Budowitz
as well as with Joel Rubin, more particularly the exquisite recordings
referred to here, will forgive me and be indulgent. In spite of two of the
albums going back a few years (one really feels more than a tad deprived
here in the UK in respect of traditional Jewish music), I only just caught
up with Rubin & Horowitz's "Bessarabian Symphony", and Budowitz's "Mother
Tongue" and "Khasene on a kale" (Wedding without a Bride), and feel
compelled to share this wonderful experience in the hope of alerting those
among us who may not yet have encountered these wonderful recordings to
what treats are waiting for them to discover.

All three albums are exquisite examples of "Early Klezmer Music", klezmer
music played authentically in the style and manner it was performed in in
the 19th to early 20th centuries in Eastern Europe, often (as, at least in
part, here, and for example on Adrianne Greenbaum's superb Fleyt Muzik
which also features Johua Horowitz) on period instruments. In many ways
this is reminiscent of the Early Music movement here in Britain (and
elsewhere, I dare say) during the 1970s and beyond and artists such as the
late David Monrow and Christopher Hogwood and their respective ensembles,
especially in the meticulous research essential to such undertakings, and
the great sensitivity and artistry required to make the music come alive
instead of being merely sterile museum pieces. Devotion to as well as great
enthusiasm for this task is abundantly evident here, and the technical
virtuosity of the artists is beyond question. Each of these three albums
also features very extensive and highly informative liner notes, expertly
written by Joshua Horowitz, as well as attractively designed covers. Of
course, the music has to stand - or fall - on its own strength alone, and
there can be no question that it stands up beautifully.

"Bessarabian Symphony" by Rubin & Horowitz is the earliest of these albums,
recorded in late 1993 and first released 1994 on the Spectrum/Wergo label.
It features Joel Rubin on C-clarinet and tsimbl (on one track), and Joshua
Horowitz on button accordion and tsimbl, with all arrangements by Rubin and
Horowitz except track 20, Bessarabian Symphony, by Horowitz. The album is
organized into suites, as are the two following albums and as was the
practice in the past. The duo format lends the album great intimacy and
immediacy, even seductive charm. Some tracks almost compel you to get off
your seat and jump up and dance, and often, the mood gets more reflective,
sometimes melancholy - the full gamut of the emotions is explored. There is
a great spirituality also, one that transcends any particular faith or even
lack thereof, and this extends also to the other two albums. The tsimbl
used by Joshua Horowitz on Bessarabian Symphony has a beautiful bright,
crisp sonority, as clear, bright and sparkling as a mountain stream rushing
down from a glacier on a bright sunny day, reminiscent of the tone of
Persian santurs rather than the dark, dull sound of the Hungarian type of
cimbalom. Horowitz, by turns, cajoles, teases, caresses, makes love to, his
tsimbl as he might a somewhat shrewish lover. And make no mistake about it,
the often (wholly unjustly) underrated tsimbl (and its kin) is very much a
shrew, one that Petruchio might not find as easily tamed as Katharina. But
Horowitz asserts his mastery, as indeed he does on his button accordion.
Joel Rubin makes his clarinet sing joyfully as well as cry and weep, with a
beautiful tone in each register (you could even be forgiven for thinking
the problems of the throat register of the clarinet had been eliminated).
The result of this mix is pure magic.

Budowitz's first incarnation features on "Mother Tongue" and in addition to
Joshua Horowitz on tsimbl and 19th century button accordion consists of
Walt Mahovlich, C-clarinet, Steven Greenman, violin, Lothar Lasser, 19th C.
button accordion, and Geza Penzes, cello and bass, with special guest
vocalist Cili Schwartz on track one. Released on the Koch International
label in 1997, "Mother Tongue" is sub-titled "Music of the 19th Century
Klezmorim on Original Instruments" and features an original composition by
Horowitz in addition to all the traditional tracks, with which it blends
seamlessly. The tsimbl he uses here has a somewhat warmer, slightly darker
sonority than that on "Bessarabian Symphony", but no less attractive. The
tone of Horowitz's accordion, from whose maker the band takes its name, not
only almost defies description but moreover is one that sadly I've never
encountered before, and in the hands of Joshua Horowitz it is possessed of
an incredible subtlety, flexibility, and rare beauty. The music has you
jumping up with an irrepressible urge to dance much of the time, at other
times it turns more introspective. An excellent balance is achieved between
these. Another essential album in any klezmer collection.

First released in 1999 on the Buda Musique label, the most recent album by
Budowitz, "Khasene on a kale" or "Wedding without a Bride" features Joshua
Horowitz on tsimbl and 19th century button accordion, Merlin Shepherd on
19th c. C- and Eb-clarinets, Tamas Gombai, violin, Sandor D. Toth, violin
and 3-string Bratsch, Zsolt Kurtosi, cello, and special guest vocalist
Majer Bogdanski. This album while not able to include the full eight day
wedding, presents all the essential musical components of the main wedding
day of the traditional Jewish wedding as it existed in the region of
Galitsia-Volhynia, with the repertoire and styles also drawn from here as
much as possible. It is beyond essential. But forget all the technicalities
and intricacies of the traditional 19th century Jewish wedding if you wish,
and just enjoy the gorgeous music with its comprehensive range of emotions!
Dance, laugh, cry in turn as the music would have you. Above all, revel in
its sheer beauty.
The only minor quibble I might have is that the label saw fit (no doubt due
to budgetary constraints) to print the superb liner notes at such a small
point size as to make reading a bit of a strain even if you have 20-20
vision, and to definitely require a magnifying glass to supplement my
reading glasses. This is not helped by the light weight of the (otherwise
excellent) paper which allows the previous page to show through. But this
is a very minor thing that should never stop anyone from enjoying the
music. (Or even the otherwise excellent liner notes.)


Richard - The Renaissance Man

Go on, treat yourself if you possibly can!

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