Featuring:
David Krakauer, clarinet
Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin
Nurit Pacht, violin
Melissa Reardon, viola
Aron Zelkowicz, cello
Kathleen Tagg, piano
PROGRAM:
Alexander Krein: Jewish Sketches No.1 for clarinet and strings
Solomon Rosowsky: Fantastic Dance for piano trio
arr. Ljova: Klezmer selections
David Schiff: Divertimento from Gimpel the Fool
Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34
and works by Stutschewsky, Zeitlin, Kaplan, and Radzynski
The Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival and world-renowned klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer presents a special centenary concert celebrating the Zimro Ensemble's historic global tour in 1919. The Zimro was a sextet of virtuoso musicians who championed early Jewish-themed classical music. Theirs is the story of the immigrant experience and international musical ambassadorship in the early 20th century.
Utilizing a clarinet, string quartet, and piano, this concert will recreate the program the Zimro sextet originally brought to life from their native St. Petersburg. "Hot off the press" at the time this music was first performed a century ago, this rich repertoire is all derived from authentic Eastern European Jewish folk sources and has rarely been heard in the intervening years.
David Krakauer is joined on stage by a starry lineup of musicians who will follow this Pittsburgh concert with an appearance in New York’s Carnegie Hall. This repeated program will coincide with the anniversary of Zimro's sold-out Carnegie concert that concluded their tour through Siberia, the Far East, and America (where they were promoted by noted impresario Sol Hurok).
Listen to a full interview with PJMF Director Aron Zelkowicz discussing "Russian Jewish Classics" with Jim Cunningham for WQED-fm's "Voice of the Arts" podcast.
