The Well

Klezmatics | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Xenophile Records
• ASIN: B00000BIJS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,007 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Well

2. I Stand Beneath a Carob Tree

3. Softly Somewhere/At The River

4. One Has Got

5. Crepuscule

6. An Angel Weeps

7. At Night

8. Don't Waken

9. I'm Going to Take Off My Shoes

10. My Sister Khaye

11. Lonesome

12. Old Age

13. Any Girl Who Takes A Boyfriend

14. The Golden Peacock

15. Farewell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is Music To Stir Your Soul - Quite Simply, THE BEST!!, October 22, 2003

By 

Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Well (Audio CD)

I have long been a fan of Chava Alberstein. And who does not love the music of the Klezmatics?? Combine the two, one vocalist with a voice like honey, and one band, which gives new meaning to the word superlative, and you get "The Well," a glorious CD of new Yiddish poems set to extraordinary music. Too many adjectives here? Well, when you listen to "The Well" I am sure you will agree with my praise.

The songs are tender, soulful, philosophical, heartbreaking, sometimes upbeat and humorous, charming, and always moving. The haunting strains and beautiful lyrics of "Ikh Shtey Unter A Bokserbaum," "A Malekh Veynt," "Ovnt Lid," "Kh'vel Oyston Di Shikh," and "Umetik" can bring tears to your eyes as they evoke poignant memories of a culture and a language almost lost to us. These poems will bring you joy, reminding you that there are artists, and many others, who are dedicated to keeping Yiddishkeit alive. "Mayn Shvester Khaye," (poem by Binem Heller), which commemorates the poet's sister who died in the Holocaust, is one of the most exquisite songs I have ever heard. The uplifting "Di Krenitse" brings memories of life in the shtetle and showcases the talents of the Klezmatics. And throughout, the beauty of the Yiddish language shines.

This is one of my favorite CDs. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
JANA

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yiddish music for the new century, October 27, 2001

By 

Robert Follansbee "bobmoshe" (Dorchester, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Well (Audio CD)

People who have followed the Klezmatics know that they are always bending genres in their superb arrangements. People who have followed Chava Alberstein's career know that in addition to being the "Joan Baez of Israel" she has some serious Yiddish chops. This album combines the Klezmatics' musicianship and range with Alberstein's unique sensibilities as she writes the music and they arrange it to interpret the work of some of the greatest Yiddish poets in the 20th Century. The poems speak mostly of universal themes although a couple are more specifically Jewish. If you don't speak or understand Yiddish, don't let that deter you. The liner notes offer complete translations along with tranliterations and original Yiddish (the text COULD be bigger).

This is not klezmer music, not Israeli music, but a wonderful hybrid that acknowledges the poetry's Eastern European roots while looking ahead to give the words a new, living voice.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Music, December 27, 2001

By 

"mcarlin2001" (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Well (Audio CD)

This CD contains some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. The Klezmatics are first-rate musicians, and their blend of sounds here is very emotive. Chava Alberstein has a hauntingly rich voice, and her work here is outstanding. This album is among my all-time favorites.