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CD The Polina Shepherd Vocal ExperienceRIENCD64

feat. Quartet Ashkenazim

Singer and pianist Polina Shepherd, of russian-jewish descent, lives and works in Brighton/UK with her husband Merlin Shepherd. They both are among the most innovative musicians in the Jewish Music scene - be it New Yiddish Song or Classic Klezmer.

Listening to “Baym Taykh” one will appreciate Polina as a gifted composer, too. Here is an original writer giving voice to a wealth of ideas, with vigour, and with originality.

The Quartet Ashkenazim is the perfect interpreter of these ideas. Ranging from beautiful unison to skilfully executed four part harmony, often within the space of a single bar, the members all both strong soloists and wonderful ensemble singers, draw the listener into a musical world that is both unknown and yet strangely familiar. The traditional ornamentation and modes of the songs are known and yet the melodies, new and unheard suggest that the tradition has never been broken. The selection of songs cover many themes and are settings of wonderful Yiddish poems, a variety as diverse and as intricate as can be expected from the canon.


Tracks:

1. Ai-yai-yai 5:44
2. Shpitsn berg (Lyrics Osher Shvartsman) 1:48
3. A frisher vint (Lyrics David Hofshtein) 3:00
Prelistening:
4. Tsvey mol tsvey iz fir (Lyrics H.Leivick) 3:15
5. Nit ikh veyn un nit ikh lakh (Lyrics Shike Driz) 2:36
6. Der heyliker Balshemtov (Lyrics Zisha Landau) 4:47
7. Tsvey (Lyrics Moyshe Kulbak) 2:09
8. Tirtl-toybn (Lyrics Abraham Sutzkever) 1:02
9. Lernendik geyen (Lyrics Yitskhok Leybush Peretz) 0:59
Prelistening:
10. Dertseyl (Lyrics Moyshe-Leyb Halpern) 4:42
11. Oy, a shuster darf ikh nisht (Lyrics trad.) 3:11
12. A nigndl (Lyrics Shike Driz) 3:01
Prelistening:
13. Vos vilstu (Lyrics trad.) 3:23
14. Baym taykh (Lyrics Mani Leyb) 5:16


total time: 45:27


The Vocal Quartet Ashkenazim:
Polina Shepherd, Yana Ovrutskaya, Evgenya Slavina, Merlin Shepherd

Piano: Polina Shepherd
Clarinet, saxophone, guitar: Merlin Shepherd
Double bass: Simon Russell


Music composed and arranged by Polina Shepherd
Recorded and mixed by Chris Phillips at Greenway Ovingdean, Brighton UK on the 23-25 August, 2007

Produced and mastered by Merlin Shepherd


Release date: 20th of August, 2007