Paul Schoenfield: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra; Four Motets; The Merchant and the Pauper (Excerpts from Act 2)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Born in Detroit in 1947, Paul Schoenfield studied in America but lived in Israel for so many years that he regards it as his second home. His music is truly eclectic, merging art with folk elements and classical Western forms with Israeli and Eastern European Jewish folk-styles. He says he does not consider himself a composer of serious "art music," but the works on this disc, all written on commission and never recorded before, are certainly serious. The Viola Concerto, composed mostly in Israel in a house adjoining a kindergarten, is based on liturgical melodies and play-songs that he heard the children sing. Using all of the instrument's technical and tonal resources, the lyrical first movement opens with a Hassidic tune that is developed and combined with other, strongly contrasting material; the second is a sustained, mournful, devout meditation; the third is a wild, ecstatic dance depicting King David dancing before the Ark. Robert Vernon, the work's dedicatee, gives an admirable, committed performance; only the very virtuosic Finale sounds a bit labored. An old school friend of Schoenfield's, he is principal violist of the Cleveland Orchestra, who commissioned and premiered the Concerto with him in 1998. The Four Motets of 1995 for a capella choir are very beautiful; influenced by the 16th-century Italian Jewish composer Salomone Rossi, they evoke Renaissance polyphony, harmony and texture. Sung in Hebrew, the verses from Psalm 86 plead for God's mindfulness and mercy. The opera's English libretto adapts a fable by Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (1772-1811), founder of a Hassidic sect and famous storyteller. The three scenes recorded here include mournful arias, passionate, ecstatic love duets, wild contrapuntal choruses; the music is tonal, archaic, liturgical, soaring, and lovely, culminating in a triumphant outburst of joy and an authentic Yiddish song of celebration. The performance by a large cast of soloists, a narrator, chorus, and orchestra is excellent. --Edith Eisler

Amazon.com
Born in Detroit in 1947, Paul Schoenfield studied in America but lived in Israel for so many years that he regards it as his second home. His music is truly eclectic, merging art with folk elements and classical Western forms with Israeli and Eastern European Jewish folk-styles. He says he does not consider himself a composer of serious "art music," but the works on this disc, all written on commission and never recorded before, are certainly serious. The Viola Concerto, composed mostly in... read more

Paul Schoenfield: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra; Four Motets; The Merchant and the Pauper (Excerpts from Act 2)

Paul Schoenfield: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra; Four Motets; The Merchant and the Pauper (Excerpts from Act 2), Music, Gary Moss, Tyler Oliphant, Mark Kent, Paul Schoenfield, Avner Itai, Kenneth Kiesler, Yoel Levi, Pei Yi Wang, Berliner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, University of Michigan Opera Orchestra, Paul Schwendener, Richard Lee, Jennifer Larson, Christopher Meerdink, Robert Vernon, Chamber, Chamber Music, Chamber Music & Recitals, Choral, Choral Music, Classical, Classical Composers, Concerto, Opera
Paul Schoenfield: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra; Four Motets; The Merchant and the Pauper (Excerpts from Act 2)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Paul Schoenfield: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra; Four Motets; The Merchant and the Pauper (Excerpts from Act 2)

    Manufacturer: Milken Archive
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    4-for-3 Classical4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    4-for-3 All Music4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Jewish Tone Poems
    2. Toch-Cantata of the Bitter Herbs (Milken Archive American Jewish Music)
    3. Paul Schoenfield's Cafe Music
    4. Lukas Foss: Elegy for Anne Frank; Song of Anguish; Robert Beaser: The Heavenly Feast
    5. Genesis Suite

    ASIN: B0002J9TUG
    Release Date: 2004-08-17

    Tracks:

    1. Gan Tzippi - Robert Vernon
    2. Soliloquy - Robert Vernon
    3. King David Dancing Before The Ark - Robert Vernon
    4. Lento Flessibile, Molto Legato - BBC Singers
    5. Andante, Sempre Legatissimo E Espressivo - BBC Singers
    6. Larghissimo Ma Flessibile - BBC Singers
    7. Tranquillo - BBC Singers
    8. Act II, Scene 1 - Jennifer Larson
    9. Act II, Scene 4 (Excerpt) - Jennifer Larson
    10. Act II, Scene 5 - Jennifer Larson

    Amazon.com

    Born in Detroit in 1947, Paul Schoenfield studied in America but lived in Israel for so many years that he regards it as his second home. His music is truly eclectic, merging art with folk elements and classical Western forms with Israeli and Eastern European Jewish folk-styles. He says he does not consider himself a composer of serious "art music," but the works on this disc, all written on commission and never recorded before, are certainly serious. The Viola Concerto, composed mostly in Israel in a house adjoining a kindergarten, is based on liturgical melodies and play-songs that he heard the children sing. Using all of the instrument's technical and tonal resources, the lyrical first movement opens with a Hassidic tune that is developed and combined with other, strongly contrasting material; the second is a sustained, mournful, devout meditation; the third is a wild, ecstatic dance depicting King David dancing before the Ark. Robert Vernon, the work's dedicatee, gives an admirable, committed performance; only the very virtuosic Finale sounds a bit labored. An old school friend of Schoenfield's, he is principal violist of the Cleveland Orchestra, who commissioned and premiered the Concerto with him in 1998. The Four Motets of 1995 for a capella choir are very beautiful; influenced by the 16th-century Italian Jewish composer Salomone Rossi, they evoke Renaissance polyphony, harmony and texture. Sung in Hebrew, the verses from Psalm 86 plead for God's mindfulness and mercy. The opera's English libretto adapts a fable by Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (1772-1811), founder of a Hassidic sect and famous storyteller. The three scenes recorded here include mournful arias, passionate, ecstatic love duets, wild contrapuntal choruses; the music is tonal, archaic, liturgical, soaring, and lovely, culminating in a triumphant outburst of joy and an authentic Yiddish song of celebration. The performance by a large cast of soloists, a narrator, chorus, and orchestra is excellent. --Edith Eisler

    Amazon.com

    Born in Detroit in 1947, Paul Schoenfield studied in America but lived in Israel for so many years that he regards it as his second home. His music is truly eclectic, merging art with folk elements and classical Western forms with Israeli and Eastern European Jewish folk-styles. He says he does not consider himself a composer of serious "art music," but the works on this disc, all written on commission and never recorded before, are certainly serious. The Viola Concerto, composed mostly in Israel in a house adjoining a kindergarten, is based on liturgical melodies and play-songs that he heard the children sing. Using all of the instrument's technical and tonal resources, the lyrical first movement opens with a Hassidic tune that is developed and combined with other, strongly contrasting material; the second is a sustained, mournful, devout meditation; the third is a wild, ecstatic dance depicting King David dancing before the Ark. Robert Vernon, the work's dedicatee, gives an admirable, committed performance; only the very virtuosic Finale sounds a bit labored. An old school friend of Schoenfield's, he is principal violist of the Cleveland Orchestra, who commissioned and premiered the Concerto with him in 1998. The Four Motets of 1995 for a capella choir are very beautiful; influenced by the 16th-century Italian Jewish composer Salomone Rossi, they evoke Renaissance polyphony, harmony and texture. Sung in Hebrew, the verses from Psalm 86 plead for God's mindfulness and mercy. The opera's English libretto adapts a fable by Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (1772-1811), founder of a Hassidic sect and famous storyteller. The three scenes recorded here include mournful arias, passionate, ecstatic love duets, wild contrapuntal choruses; the music is tonal, archaic, liturgical, soaring, and lovely, culminating in a triumphant outburst of joy and an authentic Yiddish song of celebration. The performance by a large cast of soloists, a narrator, chorus, and orchestra is excellent. --Edith Eisler
    Introducing World of American Jewish Music [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Wonderful introduction to a distinguished new series
    		 Introducing World of American Jewish Music [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]

    Manufacturer: Milken Archive
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by BernsteinAll Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by BrubeckAll Works by Brubeck | Brubeck, Dave | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by MilhaudAll Works by Milhaud | Milhaud, Darius | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by WeillAll Works by Weill | Weill, Kurt | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Berlin Philharmonic OrchestraBerlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    Vienna Philharmonic OrchestraVienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    CompilationsCompilations | Classical | Styles | Music
    Jewish & Yiddish MusicJewish & Yiddish Music | Folk | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    EnglishEnglish | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
    CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | International General | International | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | International General | International | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    4-for-3 Classical4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    4-for-3 International4-for-3 International | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    4-for-3 Pop4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    4-for-3 All Music4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Leonard Bernstein: A Jewish Legacy [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
    2. Klezmer Concertos & Encores [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
    3. Ellstein: Great Songs of the Yiddish Stage 1 [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
    4. Jewish Voices in the New World [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
    5. Brubeck - The Gates of Justice (Milken Archive American Jewish Music)

    ASIN: B0000C508H
    Release Date: 2003-09-23

    Tracks:

    1. Open The Gates (Excerpt) - Cantor Alberto Mizrahi
    2. Hashkiveinu - Hans Peter Blochwitz
    3. Hudi Mitn Shtrudl - David Krakauer
    4. III. Modere - Juilliard String Quartet
    5. Old Jerusalem - Ana Maria Martinez
    6. III. King David Dancing Before The Ark - Robert Vernon
    7. Sheyibbaneh Beit Hamikdash - Cantor Benzion Miller
    8. IV. Dance Of The Phantom Spirits - Gerard Schwarz
    9. VII. Hinei Ma Tov - Vienna Boys Choir
    10. VII. Psalm 126 - Prague Philharmonic Chorus
    11. El Melekh Yoshev - New London Children's Choir
    12. I. Demon's Welcome - Richard Stoltzman
    13. Service Sacre L'Kha Dodi - Prague Philharmonic Chorus
    14. The Flood, Part I - Fritz Weaver
    15. Adon Olam - Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields
    16. IV. Camini Por Altas Torres - Lucy Shelton
    17. Sheva B'Rakhot (Excerpt) - Cantor Simon Spiro
    18. Mayn Goldele - Nell Snaidas
    19. The Heavenly Host Delivers The Commandments To Moses/The People Dance Around The Golden Calf - Ian Denolfo

    Album Description

    The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music is a vast recorded panorama of the rich body of Jewish music, both sacred and secular, that has developed over the course of American history. This recording features nineteen tracks representing the broad scope of the Archive recordings.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Wonderful introduction to a distinguished new series.......2003-09-29

    I can't express how excited I am about this new series from Naxos and the Milken Archive! There is some absolutely stunning music on this sampler, and I can't wait until the full recordings are released. Especially notable are Ernst Toch's "Cantata of the Bitter Herbs" (what gorgeous choral & orchestral writing), Paul Schoenfield's Viola Concerto (utterly fantastic excerpt "King David Dancing Before the Ark"), the excerpt from Joseph Achron's suite from The Golem, "Open the Gates" from Dave Brubeck's Gates of Justice, and the lovely duet from Joseph Rumshinsky's Yiddish operetta "Di goldene kale." Also, if you're not familiar with Jewish liturgical music or with klezmer, there are wonderful examples on this disc. My only disappointment is that, because of economic reasons, most of the recordings had to be made with European ensembles. Although the performances are excellent (under directors Gerard Schwarz, Neville Marriner, Yoel Levi and others), it's just a shame that this music, which, in addition to being Jewish, is also very AMERICAN, cannot be preserved on CD by American ensembles. At any rate, I'm pretty certain that within the next couple of years, I'll have collected all the 50 discs in this project. You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate this great music. And at around $7.00 a disc, they're an incredible value. This marvelous sampler will get you hooked on some fabulous music.

    Music Review:

    1. Peter Mennin: Moby Dick; Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7
    2. Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 3, 7, 8 [Import]
    3. Psalms of Repentance
    4. Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2; Liszt: Concerto No. 1
    5. Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 - 4 [Import]
    6. Radiance: Choral Music
    7. Ravel: Piano Works
    8. Saint-Saens: Sonatas for cello No2; Concertos for cello in Dm
    9. Showstoppers
    10. Silk Road Journey [Import]

    Music Review

    music review

    Music Review

    Morning Dew [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

    Viva Verdi!

    Spohr: Violin Concertos Nos. 8, 12, 13

    Playlist

    Vampir-Musik [Import]

    Winning the Battle with Cancer

    Vertigo

    Ultimate Collection [Enhanced] [Import]

    Tragic Daydreams [Import]

    The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 4

    Transcend

    Todo Mi Amor

    Vendre Por Ti [Import]

    Trio Recordings, Vol. 2

    Robbie Dupree