Mit dir in eynem

 

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Liner Notes

Ilia Trilling and Isidore Lillian wrote the love duet Mit dir in eynem (Together with You) for an exceptionally elaborate musical spectacle, Leb un lakh (Live and Laugh), with a book by Harry Kalmanowitz. Its first production, at the Second Avenue Theater in New York in 1941, turned into a six-month run, followed by a run in Brooklyn’s Parkway Theater and another in Chicago at its primary Yiddish stage, the Douglas Park Theater. In New York, the very large cast included Menashe Skulnik (1892–1970, who introduced in this show what became one of the most famous comic songs associated with him, S’iz kalye gevoren, s’iz kalye geven) and, among many other stars, Bella Meisel and Muni Serebrov—who sang this duet.

The story is told—acted, sung, and danced—in flashback, and it occurs over a ten-year time frame dating back from “the present time,” 1931–1941 (adjusted for later productions). Samuel Shtral, an American businessman whose wife has left him and their young daughter, falls in love with Miriam, who becomes his second wife. Even before the marriage Miriam candidly reveals to Samuel the details of her stained past in a sordid affair with Max, an unsavory gambler and charlatan, and Samuel assures her that he will never allow that past to mar their future happiness. In a tender scene, in which Miriam is still concerned about the effect her past might have on their marriage, Samuel reassures her that now that they are together, they will always remain so. They conclude the scene with the duet Mit dir in eynem, which, according to press accounts, was repeated a few times during the production. The tune also functions as a leitmotif in the orchestra at various appropriate places in the show.

Later, when Max learns that his former girlfriend is married to a man of some means, he extorts money from Miriam on the threat of otherwise revealing her past to Samuel, not realizing that Samuel is already aware of it. Miriam complies for a while, since he also threatens to expose her publicly. When the extortion escalates into a demand to renew their sexual affair, however, Miriam shoots him. To save her from the consequences, Samuel confesses to the murder. He is sentenced to sixteen years in prison, but is paroled after ten years.

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Lyrics

• English
• Yiddish

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Credits

Composer: Ilia Trilling

Performers: Amy Goldstein, Soprano;  Elli Jaffe, Conductor;  Vienna Chamber Orchestra

Additional Credits:

Arranger/Orchestrator: Ira Hearshen
Yiddish Translations/Transliterations: Eliyahu Mishulovin & Adam J. Levitin
Arrangement © Milken Family Foundation