Yiddish Glory – The lost songs of World War II
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Show One Productions in collaboration with
The ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL and UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO present:
Yiddish Glory
The lost songs of World War II
“A life-changing event”
Marilyn Lightstone, Toronto’s The New Classical FM
BBC World Service
Matt Galloway, CBC’s Metro Morning
Hailed by more than 100 critics and journalists from around the world, Yiddish Glory is an astonishing program of songs written by Jewish lyricists and composers during World War II in the Soviet Union.
The story:
Yiddish Glory features anti-fascist songs and music documenting Nazi atrocities that were discovered in a former Soviet archive in Kiev. The songs have been resurrected by Yiddish Glory in a jaw-dropping new recording of music written by Holocaust victims and survivors in the Soviet Union during World War II.
Many of the songs are grassroots accounts of Nazi atrocities in Ukraine at sites such as Babi Yar, Pechora and Tulchin, while others are explicit descriptions of resistance and revenge. Most of the songs were written by women and children, perspectives rarely seen in music of this period. The songs were collected by a team of Jewish Soviet ethnomusicologists led by Moisei Beregovsky during the war, but shortly afterwards, during Stalin’s anti-Jewish purge, the collectors were arrested, their work confiscated, and they died thinking the music was lost to history.
On stage:
Yiddish Glory features an elite ensemble comprising world class musicians and led by
- Sophie MILMAN: Juno Award-winning vocalist
- Psoy KOROLENKO: Singer-songwriter
- Loyko: The world-renowned Gypsy trio from St. Petersburg, Russia, led by virtuoso violinist Sergei ERDENKO with Artur GORBENKO (violin) and Mikhail SAVICHEV (guitar),
- Julian MILKIS: Widely considered among the world’s greatest living clarinetists
- David BUCHBINDER: Juno Award-winning Trumpetist
- Sergiu POPA: Virtuoso Roma Accordionist
- Beth SILVER: Multiple Award-winning Cellist
- Isaac ROSENBERG – Vocals
- Anna SHTERNSHIS – Historian and Researcher
More critics rave:
“Miraculous… a stunning artistic achievement, as emblematic and moving as the cannon of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.” – Alan Tigay, World Listening Post
“Revelatory” – Howard Reich, The Chicago Tribune
“Extremely touching” – Didier Melon, RTBF (Belgian National Radio) (in French)
“A Minor Miracle” – Andy Herrman, NPR Music
With the generous support of Leanne Wright and Moses, Libby and Sam Znaimer
On Sale: June 7, 2018
Listen & Read more:
These long-lost Yiddish songs from WWII tell tales of Jewish resistance and survival on CBC.ca