Naxos' Jewish Music of the Dance looks like a compilation, but it isn't; Introducing the World of American Jewish Music is the only compilation issued in the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music series, and as the series is now past 40 discs, perhaps it's time for another one. The constant here is the orchestra used, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, with a different conductor for each of the four works presented on the theme of Jewish Music of the Dance, which is only very loosely adhered to.The real surprise is ...
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Naxos' Jewish Music of the Dance looks like a compilation, but it isn't; Introducing the World of American Jewish Music is the only compilation issued in the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music series, and as the series is now past 40 discs, perhaps it's time for another one. The constant here is the orchestra used, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, with a different conductor for each of the four works presented on the theme of Jewish Music of the Dance, which is only very loosely adhered to.The real surprise is the work that comes first: Three Hassidic Dances by Chicago composer Leon Stein. Although written in the '40s for a rudimentary conducting class, these three orchestral dances are expertly and colorfully scored, full of lively spontaneity and indeed, danceable. Stein's little suite is a terrific discovery that would be a hit on any concert program -- it has some of same qualities that make Ippolitov-Ivanov's Caucasian Sketches so appealing, but it is even more immediate and...
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