Featuring Julian Schwarz, cello; Marika Bournaki, piano; Giora Schmidt, violin

THE MUSIC OF THE HOLOCAUST

Robert Dauber: Serenata
Seranata is the lone surviving work of the brilliant young musician Robert Dauber, murdered at Auschwitz in his early twenties. It is a cabaret style work, full of pure joy, most likely used to entertain inmates at Terezin.

Victor Ullmann : Variations and Fugue on “Rachel” from Piano Sonata #7
This movement from the 7th Sonata of Ullmann draws on themes from his origins as a Lutheran (A Mighty Fortress is our God by Martin Luther), a Czech (a Hussitte Warrior call from Czechoslovakia), a classically trained musician (BACH musical motto), and his Jewish ancestry (Jewish folk song “Rachel”). This exploration of identity culminates in a masterfully conceived fugue combining all these themes.

Gideon Klein: Duo for Violin and Cello
One of the most talented composers at the Terezin concentration camp, Gideon Klein was involved in most every musical aspect of life at the camp. He composed throughout his stay at Terezin, including this duo, his final opus, incomplete as he was taken to Auschwitz and murdered. The trailing off of music during the second movement is a haunting ode to his musical life cut short.

THE MUSIC OF RUSSIAN/UKRANIAN JEWRY

Josef Engel: Frejlachs for Piano Trio
Josef Engel, Russian-born in present day Ukraine, was the father of the Jewish art music movement in the early 20th century. He settled in Tel Aviv after collecting Jewish folk melodies throughout Eastern Europe. He used these melodies in his music, including “Frejlachs”, which will be a recognizable tune for most American Jews (O Hannukah O Hannukah)

Alexander Klein: Elegy for Piano Trio
Krein was born in Russia and remained there throughout his life. Though he was raised as the son of Klezmorim, he developed a deeply personal compositional voice, using the advances in harmony of the Viennese. This elegy is one of the most hauntingly beautiful works for piano trio and serves as dedication to all Jews who have perished as a result of their identity.

Carl Fruhling: Piano Trio (2nd Movement)
Fruhling was a Ukrainian-born Austrian-Jew whose music was banned by the Nazis following his death in 1937. Throughout his life, Fruhling carried the torch of the great tradition of German art music while pushing the envelope in harmony and counterpoint, reminiscent of Wagner.

THE MUSIC OF AMERICAN JEWRY

Ernest Bloch: Meditation Hebraique for Cello and Piano
Bloch was a Swiss-American composer who was best known for his works of Jewish connection. This work was dedicated to Pablo Casals, the great ant-fascist cellist, written during Bloch’s time as president of the Cleveland Institute of Music

Joseph Achron: Hebrew Melody for Violin and Piano
The Hebrew Melody of Joseph Achron is one of the most iconic instrumental works of Jewish connection, written by the Russian-Jewish immigrant who settled in Los Angeles.

Gerard Schwarz: Duo #2 from “Tryptich” for Violin and Cello (dedicated to Gladys Rubinstein)
This work is a depiction, in musical form, of the relationship of a Jewish couple in their domicile. It is a conversation full of repartee, quips, and humor.

Alex Weiser: “Mayn Glik” from ‘And All the Days were Purple” *World Premiere Arrangement for Piano Trio
This world-premiere arrangement (special for this presentation in Syracuse) comes from Alex Weiser’s Pulitzer-Prize nominated song cycle “And All the Days were Purple”. Weiser is director of music programming for the YIVO Institute of Jewish Research.

THE MUSIC OF MODERN ISRAEL

Paul Ben-Haim: Suite for Solo Cello (1st Movement)
Maybe the greatest Israeli composer, Ben-Haim was prolific across all instrumental ensemble types, including solo works. This suite for solo cello is highly introspective, and features the instrument in all its ranges.

Joachim Stutschewsky: Frejlachs for Cello and Piano
Stutschewsky was a Ukrainian-born cellist who flourished in Vienna, Paris, and eventually Israel. He became the cellist of the celebrated Kolisch Quartet, working closely with Arnold Schoenberg. His writing draws on Klezmer themes.

Paul Schoenfeld: Cafe Music (3rd Movement)
Paul Schoenfeld made aliyah to Israel toward the end of his life and devoted most of his career to creating Western art music with Jewish folk music representation. Schoenfeld passed away in Jerusalem in 2024. Cafe Music is his most popular and audience-pleasing work. It has become a standard of the Piano Trio Repertoire