Laughter and Tears expresses both the joy and sorrow of Jewish experience—from shtetl to Holocaust—from Old Testament story-telling to early 20th century Yiddish vaudeville. Klezmer inspired music of the 1930’s weaves throughout while a synagogue prayer precedes a musical portrait of Israel. The program includes works by Irving Berlin, Elwood Derr, Carl Wirth, Ivan Rosenblum, Paul Ben-Haim and others.
Joining the Duo are the following fine artists — Kathleen Nitz-soprano, Sylvie Braitman and Stephanie Friedman, mezzo-sopranos; saxophonist Bill Trimble, and actress Erica Lann-Clark.
Incredible variety and you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy this CD!
Sample Tracks
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Track List
- Grandmother's Stories - To the Wedding by Jacob Weinberg
- To the Wedding- Kale-Besezen by G. Fitelberg
- To the Wedding - Procession
- Shtetl Voices - Yentel I by Ivan Rosenblum
- Shtetl Voices - Dvayre II
- Hebrew Dance by Boris Levenson
- Jepthah by Carl Anton Wirth
- I Never Saw another Butterfly - Terezin by Ellwood Derr
- I Never Saw another Butterfly - The Butterfly
- I Never Saw another Butterfly - The Old Man
- I Never Saw another Butterfly - Fear
- I Never Saw another Butterfly - The Garden
- Eli, Eli - Anonymous
- Three Songs Without Words - Arioso by Paul Ben-Haim
- Three Songs Without Words - Ballade
- Three Songs Without Words - Sephardic Melody
- Maypole by Jacob Weinberg
- Sadie Salome by Irving Berlin
- Yiddle on Your Fiddle, Play Some Ragtime by Irving Berlin
Reviews:
"The range of feeling exhibited by all the selections of music, both purely instrumental and with voice, is particularly evocative of the length and complexity of Jewish experience... All in all, this is a rewarding smorgasbord of Jewish temperament expressed in highly professional and creative musicianship."Ellen Isler - Jewish Braille Institute, NYC
"It is seldom we hear a CD that is so intertwined with one cultural history. At the same time one could say this CD goes far beyond the “Jewish Saga” and becomes a human saga for the ages...This CD was put together with a great deal of loving care that you will feel in the very first opening notes. Dale Wolford is an excellent saxophonist supported by an equally artistic team that produced nothing less than a superb CD. " (WRduo_review)
Paul Wagner - Saxophone Journal, July/August 2004.
Available at Amazon.com, Centaur Records