New Reviews - 2

[Renaissance Man <rainlore...>]

Even if somewhat curtailed, the current site update to Rainlore's World of 
Music ( http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk ) nonetheless includes seven album 
reviews.


And an incredible variety there is, too. Two historical albums of classical 
music by Jewish composers or on Jewish themes, released back in 1984 on 
cassettes, consist of Shostakovich - song Cycle "From Jewish Folk Poetry", Op. 
79, here translated back into Yiddish and performed by  Helen Lawrence, soprano 
(now mezzo), Carole Rosen, mezzo, Louis Garb, tenor, and Antony Saunders, 
piano, and the same performers are joined by Louis Berkman, baritone, for 
excerpts from Samuel Alman's Yiddish opera King Ahaz; and "in Recital" feat. 
Sybil Michelow, soprano and Malcolm Williamson, piano, with a selection of 
Yiddish, Hebrew, and Jewish-themed songs. Both of these outstanding recordings, 
available from JMD UK, may also be re-issued on CD, so if this would interest 
you you are encouraged to voice your support in this list! The reviews are at:

http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/Reviews/ShostakovichOp79_AlmanKingAhaz-HelenLawrenceEtAl.html
http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/Reviews/InRecital-SybilMichelow_MalcolmWilliamson.html

There's also a fabulous musical travelogue  through the worldwide Jewish 
musical diaspora in the form of Willy Schwarz's "Jewish Music Around The 
World", distributed in the US by Hatikvah Music. One of the best aspects of 
this album is also that it presents Ashkenazi as well as Sephardi and Mizrakhi 
traditions together and all mixed up nicely. It also highlights the fact that 
sadly at present, Sephardi and Mizrakhi traditions are seriously 
under-represented in reviews on Rainlore's World of Music. This is by no means 
by design or any kind of bias or preference but simply because artists/bands 
(and/or their distributors/labels etc.) have been somewhat backward in coming 
forward. A very regrettable state of affairs in my opinion. Anyway, the review 
of Willy Schwarz's album is at:

http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/Reviews/WillySchwarz-JewishMusicAroundTheWorld.html


Lister Andy Rubin's The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band's album "The Rose of 
Berezin" is a fab blend of klez, Old Tyme Dance and Irish music and more in 
their own highly original style:

http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/Reviews/FreilachmakersKlezmerStringBand-Berezin.html


Alexandra Yaron should be familiar from the recent review of her stunning show 
at London's The Spitz - here finally is a review of her recent and equally 
stunning album, "Irgendwo Auf Der Welt...", featuring cabaret songs by the 
leading composers of the genre such as Spoliansky, Hollaender and Heymann, as 
well as chansons by Brel and Aznavour:

http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/Reviews/AlexandraYaron-Irgendwo.html


Israeli drum genius Asaf Sirkis, best known as the engine of the rhythm section 
of Gilad Atzmon & The Orient House Ensemble, has a recently released album with 
his own organ trio, Asaf Sirkis & The Inner Noise, reviewed. Titled "Inner 
Noise", this work was a project that was originally partly commissioned by the 
City of Tel Aviv Arts Department. For more on this monumental fusion for the 
21st century see:

http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/Reviews/AsafSirkis-InnerNoise.html


Last but by no means least, there's the irrepressable Aussie band Monsieur 
Camembert's previous (2002) ARIA Award-winning live album, "Live On Stage":

http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/Reviews/MonsieurCamembert-LiveOnStage.html


Plus there's the usual mix of news and info, including further updates to the 
Jewish Music UK Calendar. The latter might be expanded to include gigs in 
Western Europe so all info welcome.



Richard
("Renaissance Man")



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