If I hadn't known it wasn't a clarinet being played I don't know if I could have honestly told you I noticed a difference. Perhaps the notes were just that much cleaner, or the sound a little more pointed at times. But it conveyed exactly the same feelings as the more traditional woodwind.
Throughout Klezemer Travels The World, The David Glukh International Ensemble embraces the unique ethnic diversity of klezmer music, and on occasion expands on it without ever losing touch with its core essence. Although klezmer was the music at weddings and other celebrations, it does not stop it from communicating the experiences of its people.
There are the wild, almost frenzied dances, that are defiant celebrations in the face of the real suffering Jews would have experienced in Europe during the period of the reformation, and through the years up to and including the Holocaust. Doleful instrumental ballads balance playful polkas much as the reality of hard scrabble poverty and persecution weighs on any festive occasion.
That the five players of the ensemble are gifted enough to not only play this music with all the passion and integrity required, but are also able to expand its horizons, speaks volumes about their abilities. I've been listening to klezmer music since the earlier days of its revival in the eighties, and these gentlemen have to be the best I've heard yet.
If you have never listened to klezmer music before, or even if you have, Klezmer Travels The World will be a musical experience, and journey, you'll not regret. It's probably the most exotic cruise of the world you can take without leaving home.
Article comments