Alexander Krein (1883-1951) was a member of a dynasty of Jewish musicians active in both Imperial and Soviet Russia. His compositions reveal the confluence of several strands of musical history: his Russian background, the transition from late Romanticism to early modernism - where the influence of Skryabin is readily audible - and, particularly in the works on this album, the Jewish folk-heritage, with it's emotionally powerful blend of high spirits and melancholy. In this fifth volume in the Toccata Classics series 'Russian Jewish Classics', the cellist Aron Zelkowicz, pianist Rodrigo Ojeda and the Musicians of the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival are joined by two stars of the musical firmament, the violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley, first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, and clarinetist David Krakauer, who unites classical and klezmer.

Tracklist:

Jewish Sketches No. 1, Op. 12, for clarinet and string quartet~I. Lento - PiÃ¹ mosso
Jewish Sketches No. 1, Op. 12, for clarinet and string quartet~II. Andante con anima - Allegretto grazioso
Jewish Sketches No. 1, Op. 12, for clarinet and string quartet~III. Allegro moderato
Lyric Fragment, Op. 1a, for four cellos
Elegy, Op. 16, for violin, cello and piano
Aria, Op. 41, for violin and piano
Three Ornaments, Op. 42, for violin and piano~No. 1 Andante
Three Ornaments, Op. 42, for violin and piano~No. 2 Andante
Three Ornaments, Op. 42, for violin and piano~No. 3 Andante
Jewish Melody, Op. 43, for cello and piano
Dances, Op. 50, for piano~No. 2 Andantino non troppo
Dances, Op. 50, for piano~No. 4 Allegretto
Dances, Op. 50, for piano~No. 5 Allegro non troppo
Dances, Op. 50, for piano~No. 6 Andantino grazioso
Dances, Op. 50, for piano~No. 10 Vivo
PoÃ¨me, Op. 10, for cello and piano
Jewish Sketches No. 2, Op. 13, for clarinet and string quartet~I. Andante con moto
Jewish Sketches No. 2, Op. 13, for clarinet and string quartet~II. Allegro non troppo

UPC: 5060113445469
Label: Toccata
Release Date: 10.4.19
Format: CD

Krein / Krakauer / Lipman - Chamber Music (CD)