“Klezmer” might not ring any bells, but chances are you’ve run across the style of traditional Jewish music at some point in time, perhaps most notably in the musical film “Fiddler on the Roof.” Despite its relative obscurity, this form of music is alive and well, and the Klezmer Ensemble ensures it has a presence even on Grounds.
The group, led by Assoc. Music Prof. Joel Rubin, performed in Old Cabell Hall last Thursday night and incorporated a range of interesting, worldly sounds into each piece.
The group brings together the expected — three violins, a piano accordion and a flute — with the unexpected — a tuba, a piccolo and a banjo — to create a delightfully surprising instrumental blend. The three violins played beautifully together, harmonizing in rhythm and melody, while the accordion mirrored many of their tunes and quick jumps between measures.
Playing the accordion is an impressive feat in itself — its large size requiring awkward movements — but Klezmer accordionist Tom Krop played with a cheerful smile on his face and quickness in his fingers.
The upright bass and the tuba, both played by Nick Roane, provided the majority of the flat, heavy rhythm for the rest of the performers which gave many of the pieces an almost somber feel.
Just when the mood was getting too dark, however, the sharp, high pitches of the flute and piccolo lifted the audience back up. And if listeners ever grew bored with this mesmerizing interplay, Paul Rosen’s creative banjo playing provided a fascinating interlude. Instead of the fast-paced, toe-tapping rhythm a banjo characteristically produces, Rosen held down the frets and firmly plucked the strings, creating a stronger rhythm to the music.
The array was almost shocking as the band filed onstage, but many of the ensemble’s long-time fans in attendance at the performance reveled in the cohesive, sophisticated mixture of so many different sounds.
One piece, “A Freylekhs far di Mekhutonim (Recessional Dance after the Wedding Ceremony),” began and ended with a fast, constant rhythm and a melody that was heavily dependent on the clarinets; it was historically played as a signal of the end of a wedding ceremony and served to excite the wedding party and guests for the following matrimonial festivities.
In contrast, “Der Farzorgter Yid (The Worried Jew)” is a slow piece from Romanian or Ukrainian roots that exhibits a wandering, plodding rhythm and high pitched overtones that could easily capture the despair of a harsh winter, economic trouble or the death of a loved one.
With the weight of such ethnic implications heavy in mind, the concert was appreciated and enjoyed by the small audience that gathered for the show.
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