RONN YEDIDIA: Impromptu; Nocturne; World Dance; Poéme; Concertino; Farewell, Nathaniel – Soloists – Naxos

by | Mar 30, 2012 | Classical CD Reviews

RONN YEDIDIA: Impromptu; Nocturne; World Dance; Poéme; Concertino; Farewell, Nathaniel – Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet/Ronn Yedidia, piano/Arnaud Sussmann, violin/ Melissa Reardon, viola/ Nicholas Canellakis, cello – Naxos American Classics 8.559699, 60:43 [3/27/12] *****:
Ronn Yedidia is an Israeli-born composer whose compositional style is half European classical and half ethnic folk—with a strong klezmer feeling prominent in many of these six works. He is also a pianist, accordionist and arranger and leads a virtuoso polka ensemble called Polkastra. The clarinet is of course featured in most of these pieces, and performer Fiterstein is a consummate musician who frequently plays with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
The opening World Dance reflects many of Yedidia’s varied ethnic influences: Jewish, Arabic, Spanish, Bavarian, Balkan, you name it. The combination of Jewish and Arabic music is especially interesting. (Yedidia was brought up in the Israeli town of Nazareth Illit, which is next door to the Arabic town of Nazareth.) He intends the piece to celebrate universal unity. Poéme was Yedidia’s first work for clarinet and piano, and it is romantic as well as impressionistic, with one theme reminding one of a Rachmaninoff piano concerto. The longest work on the disc is his Concertino of 2007, for clarinet, string trio and piano. In one continuous movement, it has an almost symphonic feeling. Influences of klezmer, gypsy music, Balkan’s dance music and European chanson are all heard in the work. These are all world premiere recordings.
TrackList:
1. World Dance (2010)                           [8:31]
2. Farewell, Nathaniel (2007)                 [7:40]
3. Poème (1995)                                     [13:02}
4. Nocturne (2010)                                  [7:28]
5. Concertino (2007) *                           [17:44]
6. Impromptu (2010)                              [5:51]
—John Sunier

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