VIOLINS OF HOPE

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

niv ashkenazi Violins of Hope is an artistic and educational project that utilizes instruments once owned by Jewish musicians, many of which were played in concentration camps and ghettos. Israeli luthiers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein have collected many of these instruments, refurbishing them to concert quality, and in this singularly engaging album, violinist Niv Ashkenazi and pianist Matthew Graybil bring to life music by many Jewish composers both dead and alive, including Serenade by Robert Dauber, Nigun by Ernest Bloch, the theme from “Schindler’s List” by John Williams, The Chassid by Julius Chajes, Bestemming: Triumph by Sharon Farber, Trois pièces de concert by Szymon Laks, Dance of the Rebbitzen by George Perlman, both Berceuse Sfaradite and Three Songs Without Words by Paul Ben-Haim, and Kaddisch by Maurice Ravel.

For many of us the names of Robert Dauber, Julius Chajes, Sharon Farber, Szymon Laks, George Perlman, and Paul Ben-Haim might not be well known and their music unjustly neglected, yet listening to the music in this recording I was quite taken by the sweeping Romanticism of Robert Dauber’s Serenade, the melodic richness of Paul Ben-Haim’s Berceuse sfaradite and Three Songs Without Words and by the dance-like flair of both Dance of the Rebbitzen by George Perlman and Julius Chajes’ The Chassid. The inventiveness of Trois pièces de concert by Szymon Laks anchored as it is in an early 20th century aesthetic, and the engaging sweep of Bestemming: Triumph by Sharon Farber were immediately arresting and now remain memorable, making this listener eager to hear more of this wonderful musical treasure trove.

The download I reviewed contained three tracks (12, 13, 14) whose composers did not appear on the list I failed to obtain, my apologies if this is my oversight.

Throughout the CD the immensely gifted Niv Ashkenazi and Matthew Graybil, his superb collaborative pianist both play soulfully imbuing the music with appropriate emotional depth though never falling prey to sentimentality. Altogether a worthy project, Violins of Hope provided this listener with a lovely listening experience.

Anyone interested in reaching out to the artists, please contact Mr. Ashkenazi at niv@nivashkenazi.com or through his website http://www.nivashkenazi.com. The album can be found physically and digitally on Amazon and Albany Records, digitally on iTunes, and on Spotify for streaming.

Rafael de Acha    http://www.RafaelMusicNotes.com

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”