Jewish Music of the Dance
Title |
Time |
Play |
| Three Hassidic Dances | 17:26 | ▼ |
| I. Allegro "Dance of the Joyous" | 03:10 | |
| II. Adagio-Andantino "Dance of the Enraptured" | 06:59 | |
| III. Moderato-Allegro "Dance of the Exultant" | 07:16 | |
| Opus Americanum no. 2 | 15:34 | ▼ |
| I. Ouverture | 02:20 | |
| II. Modéré | 03:28 | |
| III. Animé | 02:17 | |
| IV. Suple et Animé | 03:08 | |
| VIII. Lent (excerpt) | 00:41 | |
| IX. Modéré | 03:40 | |
| The Man from Midian | 19:00 | ▼ |
| I. Serfdom. Lamentation | 01:35 | |
| II. Mother conceives child | 01:31 | |
| III. Pharaoh's daughter bathes in the Nile, finds the Baby | 02:16 | |
| IV. Procession | 02:33 | |
| V. Pet of the court. Political intrigue | 03:37 | |
| VI. Moses among the workers | 01:28 | |
| VII. Moses buries Taskmaster In the sand | 03:55 | |
| VIII. Portrait of Moses | 02:10 | |
| The Vision of Ariel | 22:02 | ▼ |
| Scene I | 08:12 | |
| Scene III | 13:44 |
Wolpe - Milhaud - Stein - Saminsky
The World Premiere Recording of Stefan Wolpe's orchestral suite from the ballet The Man from Midian reveals a superbly crafted concert work by one of the 20th century's most fascinating composers. Also featured on this CD are excerpts from the concert suite from the ballet Moïse by Darius Milhaud. Both ballets are based on the life of Moses and were born out of two unique commissions during the 1940s. The historical development of both works is chronicled in an extensive essay by Neil W. Levin. Recorded here for the first time are excerpts from the opera-ballet The Vision of Ariel by Lazare Saminsky, a leading figure in the groundbreaking Society for Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg before he immigrated to the United States, where he exerted a profound influence on music of American Reform worship. Three soulful Hassidic dances by Chicago-born Leon Stein open the CD celebration of Jewish dance in America.
Review and Recognition:
"The Milhaud score contains typical harmonic inventiveness amid eastern tinges and majestic flourishes....Wolpe's setting is...bristling with energy and atmosphere, deftly scored.... Leon Stein's Three Hassidic Dances [is] full of swirling and poetic orchestral activity; excerpts from Lazare Saminsky's opera-ballet The Vision of Ariel exude radiance, pride and dramatic intensity...superb choral singing...there's no shortage of spiritual or artistic commitment, and the copious programme-notes are excellent." —Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone