|
|
Issue #349-- Friday, November 5, 2010
|
|
New Posts
Click each section header to go to the section indicated. (Normal login rules apply)
Opera auditions
Music teachers needed
Vocal faculty (OH)
Organist/Choir Director
Lister Available:
Experienced singer seeks
church job
Main forum:
New study notes impact of 'No Child Left Behind' on the arts
Discounts & Freebies:
Early Bird registration for Classical Singer convention available until Dec 1st
Schtuffmarkt
Gorgeous restored Steinway needs a new home -- finder's fee available
Got an idea? Need help?
Log in and start a
Health insurance 101 in Pasadena 11/13
FREE Arts tune-up
@ Plaza de la Raza, 11/3
CLA workshop:
"Year-End Tax Planning for Artists"
iCadenza offering 2nd social media workshop 11/15 (Lister discount available!)
|
|
It's not just all in your head --
Check out our Amazon store, and blow your mind!
New Yorker essayist Alex Ross looks at music in new and unusual ways, making the complex surprisingly accessible. Reignite your love of music at its most basic level with his latest book, ' Listen to This'.
 Could music be a hard- wired need the human race cannot ignore? Philip Ball looks at new evidence, lobs new theories, and sparks some very intresting discussion. Update your info and
|
Community Review Program ready to go!
Increase your web presence and press portfolio with a Lister review: Click here to learn more and request a reviewer at your next vocal-related concert or opera. We look forward to hearing you!
|
 |
Today's top stories:
Is new Canadian copyright bill disaster in the making?
'Porgy and Bess' to be relaunched as a musical
Aussies tell opera for the blind
UK arts orgs must (gasp!) APPLY for grants as of 2012
| Click here for more news and to subscribe via RSS
.
|
|
|
 Don't forget
Fall back this weekend:
Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday morning at 2am. If you don't set your clocks back, you'll be at church an hour early.
Go ahead -- sleep in a little!
|
Cantor Arianne Brown brings nearly lost songs to light with 'Eternal Flame'
If ever there was a labor of love, this is it. Recorded in the nooks and crannies of a crazy schedule over the better part of a year, Cantor Arianne Brown, widely known as "Ari" among her musical compatriots, created this unique recording out-of-pocket and from the truest part of herself. In the end, she has created an historical record, a valuable resource and a work of creativity and inspiration.
Hailing from New Jersey, Ari lived in New York for several years, where she became involved with a local Yiddish theater company -- Folksbiene, now the only group of its kind. She saw firsthand how this music has the power to touch people on a deep level, particularly those who grew up with it, but have little access to it now. But the highly theatrical nature of these songs is accessible to those without that historical connection, as well: like opera, many listeners won't understand the language, but respond to the music alone, regardless of their ethnic or religious background.
It's important to note that this is not religious music; they are theater songs, and their stage origins are clearly seen in the stories and the music that carries them: the style is a sort of mixture of musical theater and operetta. There are love songs, a story about an orphan, and a song about being "left at the chuppah" (the canopy over the wedding altar). "These are very human stories," and she believes that their appeal transcends the usual cultural boundaries.
Brown speaks Yiddish fluently now, but it was her fascination with the theater experience that led her to develop this unusual skill: she had not grown up speaking the language herself, but had heard it around her. It was the later combination of taking Yiddish classes at Jewish Theological Seminary and learning shows with Folksbiene that brought her the comfort level she now enjoys.
In the four years since she moved to the West Coast to join the staff at Sinai Temple in Westwood, Ari has performed in one-offs and concerts involving Yiddish theater material. "Other than the theater company, this work just isn't available." So she takes every opportunity to perform both the favorites, such as 'A Yidishe Mame', as well as less familiar tunes. This passion for sharing the repertoire made choosing selecting titles for the CD collection particularly difficult: the original list held more than 50 titles, and it was only by combining songs in several medleys and making some very tough decisions that the final product ended up with 17 tracks: all told, there are 33 songs represented. There are even several that include English verses, some of these in her own translations, in an effort to be inclusive of those not familiar with Yiddish.
The original plan was that the album would take about three years to complete, but after a powerful trip to Poland in 2009 changed everything. Traveling with a large group of cantors (a journey notably documented in film which played in the Southland again this week), Ari learned more about the music and the history behind these songs and her own role as cantor. She understood that the Holocaust had succeeded in terminating 3/4 of the Yiddish-speaking population, and that impact made it clear: the project had to be finished as soon as possible. "It needs to be out there, now."
In the end, the recording is designed for all of us: Ari wanted it to be available to all those who feel nostalgia for the language and the musical style. But she'd like to see younger fans of Broadway and other show music exposed to it, as well. "People claim that Yiddish is a dying language," she admits. "I don't want to believe it, but have to concede that it's endangered." In the meantime, she'll bring these songs to all who will hear them, fanning the flame to ensure it burns on.
For now, the CD is available through her website, where you can also hear samples of a few of the tracks. It is also available through the Sinai Temple gift shop, and will eventually appear on other online outlets.
|
Getting Vocal
On the Calendar
Click here to view these events & more:
Sat Nov 6
Voices on Fire: A Night of Passionate Singing
'Lucia' at the Cerritos Center
Jouyssance - A Force of Nature!
'La Traviata' in Hollywood
Sun Nov 7
Bernstein's 'Mass' with Areté Ensemble
Organ concert to fund vocal positions
'Oresteia' at CalArts
Jouyssance - A Force of Nature!
The Mystic Song
LAMC: French Connections
'La Traviata' in Hollywood
To view the latest vocal events column in the
"Clickable Chamber Music Newsletter",
click here. |
|
Thanks, all of you, for being part of our community --
Have a great weekend!
|
|
|
In accordance with FTC guidelines, any other paid placement and/or advertisements, as well as reviews or recommendations initiated by the receipt of free goods or services, will be clearly identified as such.
Some items linked here will lead to purchase sites on Amazon or Cafe Press, where we are registered as affiliate members. LaurisList.com does receive some compensation for sales made via these links.
You are receiving this newsletter because you are listed as a full member or registered user at www.LaurisList.com, or because you have requested a subscription. Links shown may require a valid login in order to access the pages referenced. Use of this email and of the site is subject to our Terms and Conditions. As always, please don't hesitate to contact us at support@laurislist.com if you have any questions, problems or feedback. As always, thank you for being part of our community!
Lauri D. Goldenhersh, Founder and Editor
|
|
|
|
|
|
