Customer Reviews

The Well

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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

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.

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.

As a life-long gentile fan of klezmer, let me say this is one set of songs which really speaks to your mind, body, and soul, whether you're Jewish or not. They pretty much showcase a full range of human emotions, as well as drawing on some religious and historical themes. At the same time, the band also incorporates various music genres while leaving the klezmer part intact.

If you should buy this, you won't be the least bit disappointed, but very happy and satisfied. :)

Bottom line on "The Well": A+

This is a GRAMMY nomination album. A true Gem. It's a pleasure to see that people are still relating to music and art. Great work Chava Alberstein and The Klezmatics

Please, please don't pay any attention to the 1-star review below -- Alberstein's musical settings and interpretations of Yiddish poems are very striking, and the collaboration with the Klezmatics really works!

However, you can go this one better by snagging a copy of Chava's latest release, "Foreign Letters" (on Rounder Records). Both CDs were produced by Chava and Ben Mink (k.d. lang's former bandleader)-- he knows how to work with singers, and the arrangements alone are worth the price of the CD. My only quibble: the English translations of lyrics aren't as good as they could be, but that's a minor problem at best.

Alberstein's from Israel, but she brings some of the best French chanson singers to mind. Her eclecticism is one of her greatest strengths.

This is probably my favorite record ever. Some tunes make you want to dance, some make you want to cry, and a lot of them make you want to learn Yiddish.

boy,i'm speechless!
the combination of the klezmatiks and alberstein is phenomenal.words can't do justice to this music.
hear it for yourselves!

These are modern Yiddish poems set to music and sung by Chava Alberstein. The melodies are played superbly by the Klezmatics, and because the music is "klezmer" there is a blend of the old and the new.
Only one of the poems deals directly with the Holocaust but there is a bittersweet quality in all of them: Yiddish is a language, that, along with a certain culture, "went up in smoke", yet still is spoken by (some) Jews all over the world--indeed, it is having something of a renaissance. It's good to hear "new" songs in Yiddish, and Chava Alberstein is probably the best Yiddish singer today.

This disk has a permanent place in my CD player. It stands up to the scrutiny of endless listenings. Each song is extremely well-crafted with wonderful interplay that gives emphasis both to Chava Alberstein's vocals and the Klezmatics' instrumentals. The songs are neither pure klezmer nor pure folk songs, but a unique blend that perfectly brings to life the various poems that Alberstein has set to music.

I'm delighted to see the re-release of this disk which was originally published in 1998. I was looking to give this CD as a gift to several friends last year and had to resort to searching in off-the-beaten-track new and used record stores.