An Exploration of Klezmer Music w/ Abigale Reisman
Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
Joshua Weilerstein
4.9 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 14 March 2024
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Klezmer music has always been very close to my heart, even as a classical violinist. During the pandemic I attempted to learn Klezmer clarinet, and soon I began collaborating with the great Klezmer(and classical!) violinist Abigale Reisman on her work for Klezmer band and orchestra called Gedanken. Abigale taught me so much about Klezmer music, including the fact that despite its reputation as a clarinet-centric genre, the violin is actually the original voice of the Klezmer sound. I've been wanting to do a show about Klezmer music for a while, and Abigale was the perfect person to talk to, as she has experience in both the classical and Klezmer worlds, and was able to talk about the differences between the two sounds, as well as all of the characteristics that make Klezmer music so instantly recognizable. We also talked about the similiarites between classical and Klezmer music, which classical violinists had the most Klezmer like sound, and how to tell the difference between a traditional Eastern European folk tune and a Jewish Klezmer folk tune. I so enjoyed this conversation and I hope you will too! You'll hear an excerpt of Abigale's band Ezekiel's Wheels at the end of the show, but check them out here:
https://www.youtube.com/@ewklezmer/videos
Link to the concert I mentioned at the top of the show:
Transcript
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| 0:12.8 | Hello and welcome to Sticky Notes, the classical music podcast my name is Joshua Wilerstein. I'm a conductor and I'm the chief conductor of the |
| 0:18.1 | Alborg Symphony and the music director of the Phoenix Orchestra of Boston. |
| 0:21.6 | This podcast is for anyone who loves classical music, works in the field, or is just getting ready to dive in to this amazing world of incredible music. |
| 0:30.0 | Before we get started, I want to thank my new Patreon sponsors Michelle E. Avery, Jillian, Lars, |
| 0:36.7 | Soon, Leah, Lewis, Bill, Deborah, Stephen, Eric, and all of my other Patreon sponsors for making season 10 possible. |
| 0:47.0 | If you'd like to support the show, please head over to patreon.com slash sticky notes podcast. |
| 0:52.1 | And if you are a fan of the show, |
| 0:53.3 | please take a moment to give us a rating or review |
| 0:55.2 | on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:56.8 | It is greatly appreciate it. |
| 1:00.0 | So I've had a pretty exciting couple of weeks. Last Monday afternoon, I got a phone call from the Bayouisha Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, |
| 1:07.9 | the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, asking me if I was available to step in for their conductor who had gotten sick at the last moment |
| 1:15.6 | and I was available and I flew to Munich the next morning and did a concert with this incredible orchestra |
| 1:22.3 | for those of you who don't know, |
| 1:24.0 | the Bavarian radio is maybe one of the top five orchestras in the whole world, |
| 1:28.1 | along with the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony, orchestras of that caliber. |
| 1:33.2 | So this was one of the most special weeks I've ever had. |
| 1:35.8 | The orchestra was just incredible, so easy to work with, |
| 1:39.2 | and such an amazing sound. |
| 1:41.7 | We did Chostoctober's Fifth Symphonyphony a piece that is very close to my heart as many of you know and the Stravinsky |
| 1:47.1 | violin concerto with Ville de Frang who was absolutely amazing we've done that |
| 1:51.6 | concerto together before and she's actually if I can make a confession |
... |
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