This album, titled 'A Yiddish Winterreise', is a sequence of songs from the Yiddish repertoire, devised by opera singer and cantor Mark Glanville.
Compositional Technique
Many Yiddish songs are in the Western 'minor' key, though some also use Ashkenazi cantorial modes like Hashem Moloch, Mogen Ovos, Ahavoh Rabboh, or Mi Shebeirach.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Yiddish song, as a vibrant expression of the Jewish experience, served as a therapeutic medium for coping with adversity, preserving a distinct artistic identity.
Performer Biography
Alexander Knapp, the pianist, holds M.A., Mus.B., and Ph.D. degrees in music from Selwyn College, Cambridge, and has published and lectured on Jewish music for over 35 years.
Recording & Production
This recording was made with the support of the European Association for Jewish Culture, Sheep Meadow Press, and the German Embassy in London.
Historical Context
The album recreates the Schubertian journey in a Holocaust context, with the singer reflecting on a life and world destroyed as he flees the Vilna ghetto.
Performer Biography
Mark Glanville, the bass-baritone on this recording, studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Opera Studio.
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