Customer Reviews

Nigun: Celebration of Jewish Music/Various

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cellist, Inbal Segev and pianist Ron Regev, do a splendid job on these very difficult pieces by Ernest Bloch. Segev has a beautiful, singing tone and impeccable intonation. Her feeling for the music comes through. The pieces by Stutschewsky and Achron were unkown to me previously, as were the two pieces by Paul Ben-Haim. They, too, are performed convincingly, although I know of no other version by which to judge. This CD is a must for cellists, cello lovers and Jews who want to get in touch with Jewish music. The sound is slightly too reverberant and I would prefer a slightly lighter touch on Segev's vibrato. Her performance of Bruch's Kol Nidre with the piano reduction, is worth the price of the CD alone. This version moves into second place of my all time favorite performances of Kol Nidre (behind the 1947 version by Piatigorsky).

I was n't particularly into the cello until I happened to come across this disc and I find it very addictive. This is a great collection of music by some incredibly gifted artists. Inbal Segev and Ron Regev are both formidable musicians who play this music with real conviction not to mention great tone and technique. The music and performances are full of soul, rich sounds and absolutely captivating intensity. As an added bonus, and not at all out of place there is The Theme from Schindler's List which has been arranged beautifully by the cellist.

I encourage anyone who appreciates artistry to get this cd. You will not be disappointed.

This album is indeed a gorgeous creation, with rich and subtle performances. But no 5-star rating for amazon.com on this one, because the song titles list on this website and on the .mp3 download are obviously incorrect. Here's a corrected list until amazon.com gets someone in gear to fix the problem and straighten things out with their customers. Besides my knowledge of music, my authority for this list is Vox Classics, the label which released this recording (#7910 in the VOXC catalog). I know that none of us are immune to errors, but this is a pretty serious failing for a marketer of the stature of amazon.com.

TRACK..AMAZON.COM SONG TITLE.....................ACTUAL SONG TITLE
.1........Jewish Life - Jewish Song.......................Ernest Bloch, Baal Shem: Nigun
.2........Frejlachs.............................................Ernest Bloch, Meditation Hebraique
.3........Kaddish...............................................Ernest Bloch, Jewish Life: Prayer
.4........Hassidic Suite - Bessarabic Song..............Ernest Bloch, Jewish Life: Supplication
.5........Hassidic Suite - Dance...........................Ernest Bloch, Jewish Life: Jewish Song
.6........Hebrew Melody Op. 33nce........................Joachim Stutschewshky, Frejlachs
.7........Hebrew Melody Op. 33...........................Joachim Stutschewshky, Kaddish
.8........Theme from Schindler's List.......................Joachim Stutschewshky, Hassidic Suite: Bessarabic Song
.9........L'enigme eternelle.................................Joachim Stutschewshky, Hassidic Suite: Dance
10........Jewish Life - Prayer...............................Paul Ben-Haim, Songs Without Words: Arioso
11........Jewish Life - Supplication.........................Paul Ben-Haim, Songs Without Words: Sephardic Melody
12........Ba'al Shem: Nigun...............................Joseph Achron, Hebrew Pieces Op. 35: Lullaby
13........Meditation Hebraique..........................Joseph Achron, Hebrew Melody Op. 33
14........2 Songs Without Words - Arioso..............Max Bruch, Kol Nidrei Op. 47
15........Hatikva..............................................John Williams, Schindler's List: Main Theme
16........2 Songs Without Words - Sephardic.........Maurice Ravel, Melodies Hebraiques: L'enigme eternelle
17........2 Hebrew Pieces Op. 35 Lullaby...............Maurice Ravel, Chants Populaires: Chanson Hebraique
18........Hebrew Song........................................Hatikvah (traditional)