Customer Reviews

John Zorn: Filmworks XX

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The latest entry in John Zorn's Film Works series, "Sholem Aleichem" is the score to a documentary of the author. Noted for his mixture of mood, Zorn attempts to reflect this through a klezmer-tinged score reflecting the moods of his work. Performed by the Masada String Trio (bassist Greg Cohen, cellist Erik Friedlander and violinst Mark Feldman) augmented by Rob Burger on accordian and Carol Emanuel on the harp, the score is by and large a satisfying and diverse piece, with a dark undercurrent running throughout that occasionally bubbles to the surface. While this adds a somewhat different feel than Zorn's other klezmerish scores that avoid the Masada sound (i.e. Film Works, Vol. 14: Hiding and Seeking), it at times creates a bit of a dragging feel in the music.

Nonetheless, it's an interesting piece-- the Masada String Trio's performances are, as always, superb, with each putting on display their talents (Feldman's solo on closer "Talking Through Oblivion" stopped me in my tracks when I heard it. The addition of Burger and Emanuel provides quite a different texture-- Burger for his part lends that klezmer sound without every being terribly overt (the painfully lovely "Mekubolin"), Emanuel proves to be without a doubt one of the most agile performers on her instrument that I've ever heard (pretty much throughout).

"Sholem Aleichem" is a satisfying listen and a decent score, but Zorn's done significantly better (Filmworks XIII: Invitation to a Suicide and the more recent Film Works, Vol. 19: The Rain Horse spring immediately to mind). Fans of his film scores should definitely check this out, more casual fans could probably live without this one.

This is actually one of my very favorite FilmWorks releases. Any CD with the Masada String Trio is going to be worth the price of admission and this one is gorgeous. Adding harp and accordion to the mix makes for a beautiful and unique sound, and pulls it away from the usual Jewish soundtrack music using klezmer clarinet. I played this CD during a recent holiday party and everyone wanted to know what it was. It really set a beautiful mood, gentle and haunting. The music is remarkably varied for a film focused on a traditional Jewish subject (a documentary on Sholem Aleichem) but the Jewish sound is always there. Some of the pieces are hypnotic and rhythmically complicated (Luminous Visions, Wandering Star) and some are more traditional (Shalom, Sholem!, Mamme Loshen, Lucky Me, I'm an Orphan), but all of it is gorgeous and beautifully played. So much lyricism with amazing soloing as well. Nicht Gefahrlich (translated as Not Dangerous) is my favorite track. Stunning.