BALADEN
SLOVAK KLEZMER ASSOCIATION & REAL MUSIC HOUSE, 2015
Balady came into being as a result of the rediscovery of the musical works of Arie (Aladár) Ben Erez Abrahamson (1904–1992). A native of Topoľčany, he was active primarily in interwar Bratislava before emigrating, and in his compositions he set to music poems by some of the most renowned Yiddish poets. A strong imprint on the project is also left by songs by the poet and composer Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, who worked in nearby Vienna before the war.
Alongside these are compositions by the doyenne of Yiddish song Chava Alberstein, several traditional pieces, a song about a devoted socialist as well as the beautiful Rivkele in a cabaret-style rendition, and even a melody of students from the rabbinical school (yeshiva) in Nitra, symbolically “hand in hand.” Added value to the album comes from the striking performances of guest musicians, including a string quartet. Last but not least, the album features Čerešne by Filip and Lasica—presented here as Karshelekh—in an arrangement by Ľubica Čekovská with a Yiddish translation by Asia Fruman.