Soprano Cherie Hughes and guitarist Roberto Limon present three works inspired by the music of Spain and the Sephardic Jewish diaspora. The opening title work, composed by Samuel Zyman and commissioned in 2013 by the duo, sets an English translation by Issac Jack Levy of a poem by Henrietta Asseo. Asseo's family was almost completely lost in the Holocaust and the poem captures both the poignant loss of life and the hope for renewal. "Divan of Moses-Ibn-Ezra," Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's monumental 19-song cycle based on poetry of the exiled 11th-century Sephardic philosopher, explores the ephemeral nature of love, life, and faith. Written between 1974-1976, Matilda Salvador's cycle, "Endechas y cantares de Sefarad," sets well known traditional Sephardic melodies with a more contemporary harmonic language.
Track Listing:
1. On My People (Samuel Zyman) 5:09
Divan of Moses-Ibn-Ezra, Op. 207 (Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco)
2. When The Morning of Life Had Passed (3:05)
3. The Dove That Nests In The Tree-Top (2:23)
4. Wrung With Anguish (1:38)
5. Sorrow Shatters My Heart (2:29)
6. Fate Has Blocked The Way (4:23)
7. O Brook (1:37)
8. Drink Deep, My Friend (0:48)
9. Dull And Sad Is The Sky (1:27)
10. The Garden Dons A Coat Of Many Hues (1:29)
11. Men Are Children Of This World (1:34)
12. The World Is Like A Woman Of Folly (0:53)
13. Only In God I Trust (2:22)
14. Where Are The Graves (1:04)
15. Let Man Remember All His Days (1:48)
16. I Have Seen Upon The Earth (2:00)
17. Come Now, To The Court Of Death (1:28)
18. Peace Upon Them (1:40)
19. I Behold Ancient Graves (1:13)
20. Wouldst Thou Look Upon Me In My Grave? (3:22)
Endechas y cantares de Sefarad (Matilde Salvador)
21. Avridme galanica (2:22)
22. A la una (2:40)
23. Morena me yama (1:26)
24. Endecha (2:17)
25. Los bilbilicos (3:18)
26. Cantar de amanecida (2:01)
27. Yo me levanti un lunes (1:38)
28. Arvolicos d'almendra (1:46)
29. Cantar de marinero (3:55)
Performers:
Cherie Hughes - soprano
Roberto Limon - guitar
Production Info:
Produced by Alberto Pedro Nunez Acuna, Mexico City, MEXICO
Recorded by Tom Stiles at the Jack Straw Cultural Center, Seattle, WA
2009 and 2014
Editing Engineer: Manuel Mora Valverde, Mexico City, MEXICO
Mastered by John McCaig at panicStudios, Seattle, WA
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
