Alba Challah

Klezmer (Yiddish: קלעזמער) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these would have been played at weddings and other social functions. The musical genre incorporated elements of many other musical genres including Ottoman (especially Greek and Romanian) music, Baroque music, German and Slavic folk dances, and religious Jewish music. As the music arrived in the United States, it lost some of its traditional ritual elements and adopted elements of American big band and popular music.

About Alba Challah

While studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, clarinettist Ruaridh Bakke got a few friends together to play some klezmer music. They were invited to play at the Spire concert series on 14 May 2022, and six-piece band Alba Challah was formed. Not only do they play klezmer repertoire, there is so much more in the form of thrilling classical/operatic repertoire arranged specifically for the band.

Musicians

• Ruaridh Bakke – clarinet
• Masha Zhuravlova – violin
• Josiah Duhlstine – cello
• Duncan Ritchie – accordion
• Isidor ten Hooven – bass guitar
• Michael O’Rourke – percussion

Programme

• “Overture” (arrangement based on Don Giovanni - Mozart)  ||  A Nakht In Gan Eydn (Klezmer traditional)
• Baym Rebin’s Sude (Klezmer traditional)
• Gnossienne No. 1 (Erik Satie)
• Nakhes Fun Kinder (Klezmer traditional)
• Krivo Sadovsko Horo (Bulgarian traditional)
• Firn Di Mekhutonim Aheym (Klezmer traditional)  ||  Moldovan Hora (traditional)  ||  Odessa Bulgarish (Klezmer traditional)

Interval

• Osprey (arrangement based on theme by Dougie Maclean)  ||  Samarkand (Gavin Marwick)
• Hungarian Dance No. 6 (Brahms)
• Trugnal mi Yane Sandanski (Bulgarian traditional)
• Der Heyser Bulgar (Klezmer traditional)
• Kaval Sviri (Bulgarian traditional)  ||  Scheherazade (arrangement based on Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov)