New articles about, new releases from the Milken Archive of Jewish American Music
Matt Temkin has written several articles for the KlezmerShack about rereleases and old recordings. It is especially fitting, then, that he weigh in on the new "archival" releases of American Jewish Music by the Milken Foundation.
And, on the subject of the Milken Archives, Seth Rogovoy posted this link from the excellent "NextBooks.com" site on the same subject: "Preservation Squall," a fascinating essay about issues raised by the Milken Archive of American Jewish music, by Paul Mitchinson.
Finally, the Milken Archive itself announces the two latest releases in the series, numbers 11 and 12:
- Dave Brubeck's "The Gates of Justice"
- Bruce Adolphe: Three Works
From the Milken Archive e-mail press release:
DAVE BRUBECK'S THE GATES OF JUSTICE (CD #8.559414)
Jazz icon, pianist and composer Dave Brubeck wrote this cantata in an attempt to heal the rift between the Jewish people and American blacks that emerged in the late 1960s, especially after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. Based on biblical and Hebrew liturgical texts, quotations from Dr. King's speeches, Negro spirituals and the Jewish sage Hillel, with lyrics by Brubeck's wife Iola, it was intended to underscore and resurrect the spiritual parallels between Jews and blacks. For more information, go to www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=12
BRUCE ADOLPHE (CD #8.559413)
This disc features three works by composer, author, educator and performer Bruce Adolphe, currently the composer-in-residence of the Chamber Music Society of New York's Lincoln Center: (1) Ladino Songs of Love and Suffering, a virtuoso song cycle for soprano, guitar, and French horn based on folk poetry in Ladino, the Castillian Spanish/Hebrew vernacular of Mediterranean Sephardi Jews; (2) a scene from Adolphe's opera, Mikhoels the Wise, about the life and death of the most prominent figure of the post-revolution Soviet Yiddish Theater; and (3) Out of the Whirlwind, a six-movement oratorio based on Yiddish poems and songs written by members of the Jewish resistance in the ghettos during World War II, and by other Holocaust victims. For more information, go to www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=11
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OTHER CD RELEASES
from The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music
and Naxos American Classics
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Ten other Milken Archive discs are currently available through Naxos American Classics, including:
- AN INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN JEWISH MUSIC [8.559406]
"...wonderfully eclectic." � RedLudwig.com www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=5 - KURT WEILL'S THE ETERNAL ROAD (Highlights) [8.559402]
One of Amazon.com's 10 Best Opera and Vocal Music CDs of 2003 "...fervent and touching."—New York Times www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=1 - DARIUS MILHAUD'S SERVICE SACR� [8.559409]
"...a glorious ... and complete ... rendition."—ClassicsToday.com "...an intriguing work from first note to last, sonic proof of the value of the Milken Archive."—Oakland Press www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=8 - JOSEPH ACHRON [8.559408]
"Elmar Oliveira's edgy virtuosity and sweet throbbing timbre suit the music very well and Joseph Silverstein draws superbly rich playing from the Berlin Orchestra..."—Gramophone www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=7 - MARIO CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO [8.559404]
"...sung superbly by...soprano Ana Maria Martinez..." � Fanfare www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=3 - LEONARD BERNSTEIN: A JEWISH LEGACY [8.559407]
"The most illuminating Bernstein recording in years..." � Newark Star Ledger www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=6 - GREAT SONGS OF THE YIDDISH STAGE, VOL. I [8.559405]
"...lively, affecting, beautifully performed pieces." � New York Daily News www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=4 - KLEZMER CONCERTOS AND ENCORES [8.559403]
"The Jewish elements in [Robert Starer's Kli Zemer] emerge proudly and poignantly, always conditioned by economy and taste." � The New Yorker "...played with feeling and virtuosity by David Krakauer..." � Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=2 - A HANUKKA CELEBRATION [8.559410]
"In a word, this effort is spectacular.... all of the selections are fired with emotion....a must-have for your record collection." � Los Angeles Daily News www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=9 - JEWISH VOICES IN THE NEW WORLD [8.559411]
"...unusually haunting music, with a distinctive combination of serenity and boldness." � Oakland Press www.milkenarchive.org/cds/cds.taf?cdid=10
These twelve discs are the first of 50 CDs to be released over the next several years by the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, the most comprehensive collection of musical works pertaining to Jewish life and culture in America ever assembled.
All proceeds from the sale of Milken Archive recordings will be directed back into the Milken Archive's nonprofit programs in furtherance of educational and cultural goals.
For more information, please visit www.milkenarchive.org and www.naxos.com.