soulful melodies
As well as being one of the finest operatic tenors America has produced, Jan Peerce was a peerless interpreter of of traditional Jewish music, from cantorial masterpieces to Yiddish folk songs. This wonderful collection is a mix of old Chassidic melodies and some that are from World War II, telling stories of European Jewry, from the old country, to the new.The 2 songs that thrill and move me most are "Vu iz Dus Gesele" and "Anniversary Waltz", both of which are also included in a CD put out by Vanguard Classics called "Yiddish Dream, a Heritage of Jewish Song", which I highly recommend as a "must own" for lovers of this genre of music. Recorded in '63, the wonderful arrangements are by Abraham Ellstein, who also conducted, and the sound quality is good. The simple foldout insert includes the original LP liner notes, and has, instead of line by line lyrics, the story of the songs explained. The total time is 52:56, and every minute is a joy.
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