Jerusalem Quartet
Hila Baggio  soprano 

Schulhoff Five pieces for string quartet
Desyatnikov Five Yiddish cabaret songs for voice and string quartet: Varshe – In a hoyz vu men veynt un men lakht – Ikh ganve in der nakht - Yosl und Sore-Dvoshe – Ikh vel shoyn mer nit ganvenen (arrangements)
Korngold String Quartet No. 2 Op. 26

Approximate running time
1st part: 35mn - Intermission: 20mn - 2nd part: 25mn

This programme devised by the Jerusalem Quartet celebrates Jewish influences on 20^th century music. The four musicians have delved into the archives of the National Library of Jerusalem and selected the five Yiddish songs which provided the raw material for a work by Leonid Desyatnikov, one of the most active and prolific composers of his generation, who was born in 1955. The five new versions of these songs will be performed in Yiddish by Israeli soprano Hila Baggio. The musicians will frame this melodic cycle with five pieces for string quartet by Schulhoff, and Korngold’s Second String Quartet. The talent of Czech child prodigy, composer and pianist, Erwin Schulhoff (Prague, 1894 - Wurzburg camp, 1942), was identified and fostered at a very early age by Dvořák. His style is characterised by a blend of atonality, surrealism and elements from the popular repertoire. Like so many in this era, Korngold followed a different path and was forced to flee to the United States, where he became one of the leading film music composers of the day. Although it was composed in America, the Second Quartet reveals his nostalgia for the musical heritage of Central Europe.