Released by Naxos American Classics
Playing Time: 73:34

U.S. Release Date: September 19, 2006
International Release Date: March 2007

The WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING of Stefan Wolpe's orchestral suite from the ballet The Man from Midian reveals a superbly crafted concert work by one of the 20th century's most fascinating composers. Also featured on this CD are excerpts from the concert suite from the ballet Moïse by Darius Milhaud. Both ballets are based on the life of Moses and were born out of two unique commissions during the 1940s. The historical development of both works is chronicled in an extensive essay by Neil W. Levin. Recorded here for the first time are excerpts from the opera-ballet The Vision of Ariel by Lazare Saminsky, a leading figure in the groundbreaking Society for Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg before he immigrated to the United States, where he exerted a profound influence on music of American Reform worship. Three soulful Hassidic dances by Chicago-born Leon Stein open the CD celebration of Jewish dance in America.

REVIEW
"The Milhaud score contains typical harmonic inventiveness amid eastern tinges and majestic flourishes.... Wolpe's setting is...bristling with energy and atmosphere, deftly scored.... Leon Stein's Three Hassidic Dances [is] full of swirling and poetic orchestral activity; excerpts from Lazare Saminsky's opera-ballet The Vision of Ariel exude radiance, pride and dramatic intensity...superb choral singing...there's no shortage of spiritual or artistic commitment, and the copious programme-notes are excellent."
          — Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone

Audio clips of tracks on this CD are available on the Naxos Web site. Click here to listen.

Tracklisting:

Leon Stein: Three Hassidic Dances (1946)
	Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin* Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor
1.	I. Allegro "Dance of the Joyous"	3:10
2.	II. Adagio-Andantino "Dance of the Enraptured"	6:59
3.	III. Moderato-Allegro "Dance of the Exultant"	7:16
Darius Milhaud: Opus Americanum no. 2 Suite from the Ballet Moïse (1947)—excerpts
	Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin* Gerard Schwarz, conductor
4.	I. Ouverture [Israelites suffering under slavery]	2:20
5.	II. Modéré [Moses' birth and discovery]	3:28
6.	III. Animé [Moses brought to court]	2:17
7.	IV. Suple et Animé [Moses as pet of the court; political intrigue]	3:08
8.	VIII. Lent (excerpt) [Moses' descent from Mt. Sinai; smashing the tablets]	:41
9.	IX. Modéré [Moses' anger and solitude]	3:40
Stefan Wolpe: The Man from Midian Ballet Suite no. 1 (1942)
	Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin* Joseph Silverstein, conductor
10.	I. Serfdom—Lamentation	1:35
11.	II. Mother Conceives [Conceals] Child	1:31
12.	III. Pharaoh's Daughter Bathes in the Nile, Finds the Baby	2:16
13.	IV. Procession	2:33
14.	V. Pet of the Court—Political Intrigue	3:37
15.	VI. Moses Among the Workers	1:28
16.	VII. Moses Buries the Taskmaster in the Sand	3:55
17.	VIII. Portrait of Moses	2:10
Lazare Saminsky: The Vision of Ariel (opera-ballet) excerpts (1916)
	Alberto Mizrahi, tenor Coral Càrmina Barcelona Symphony/National Orchestra of Catalonia Jorge Mester, conductor
18.	Scene I (excerpts)	8:13
19.	Scene III (excerpts)	13:45

* Coproduction with DeutschlandRadio Kultur and the ROC Berlin GmbH