Search - Rubin & Horowitz :: Joel Rubin & Joshua Horowitz: Bessarabian Symphony - Early Jewish Instrumental Music

Close to perfection

Alessandro Agnetis | Siena, Italy | 02/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In this long, beautifully annotated album, Rubin and Horowitz almost reach perfection. Early Jewish traditional melodies are played in the very way they were played in eastern Europe at the turn of the century, so tempi are not sctrictly observed, the rhythm and the mood occasionally have sudden changes. Still, the result is of outstanding purity and formal rigour. With respect to other better-known klezmer cd's, this album is best appreciated after several listenings, since it takes a bit to convey the depth and the richness of the sound. Also, on the whole this album lacks some of the warmth of other Rubin's releases, but some tracks are unforgettable, such as the execution of Shabes Nign, both powerful and delicate. Just one warning: if you never listened to klezmer or Yiddish music, and you want to have a glimpse of it, this may not be the best album to start with (but I would rather get some other Rubin's release)."