In this Tsvey Brider (Two Brothers) recital, vocalist Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell with his chamber ensemble will perform reimagined arrangements of their original and stylistically diverse settings of 20th century Yiddish modernist poetry. This recital will feature songs, now reimagined through Dmitri Gaskin’s arrangements for voice and chamber ensemble with Matthew Stein (fiddle) and Misha Khalikulov (cello) of the klezmer band Baymele, which bring a whole new world of sound, texture and color to the work of Tsvey Brider. In addition, the performance will include a new musical idiom by combining two distinct older ones: African American spirituals and the music of Jewish Eastern Europe. Drawing from a diverse collection of folk songs, lullabies, art and religious music, elements of this program mobilize an array of historic genres to create a repertoire of songs authentically inhabiting the sounds and histories of two traditions.
This event is made possible by the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music with additional generous support from the David Vickter Foundation. It is co-sponsored by the UCLA Department of African American Studies.