DANCING
ON THE EDGE OF A VOLCANO
Jewish Cabaret, Popular, and Political Songs 1900-1945
Cedille CDR 90000 065 (2 CD set)
Recorded: March 13-16, 2002 at WFMT Chicago
Notes: Philip V. Bohlman
CD 1 (77:23) Songs in original language
CD 2 (77:40) Songs in English and Hebrew (part 4)
* = World Premiere Recording
Philip V. Bohlman, Directeur Artistique
Ilya Levinson, Directeur Musical & Arrangeur
Stewart Figa, baryton
Julia Bentley, mezzo-soprano
Deborah Bard, soprano
Ilya Levinson, piano
Peter Blagoev, violon
Stewart Miller, contrebasse
Hank Tausend, percussion
Elizabeth Ko, flûte
Jon Steinhagen, American lyrics
From the Periphery to the Habsburg Metropole
1 "Wiener Fiakerlied" - "Viennese Coachman's Song"
• Gustav Pick (1832-1921) (5:03) Stewart Figa
2 "Nach Großwardein" - "To Großwardein" *
• Hermann Rosenzweig / Text: Anton Groiss (5:50) Deborah Bard
3 "Der jüdische Landsturm" - "The Jewish Country Regiment"
*
• Viennese Broadside / Carl Lorens (3:21) Stewart Figa
4 "Der Leb, der Hersch und der Kohn" - "Levin and Hirsch and
Cohn"
• Viennese Broadside / "Es klappert die Mühle" (folk song)
(3:04) Stewart Figa
5 "Die koschere Mischpoche!" - "The Kosher Mishpoche!" *
• Viennese Broadside (2:42) Deborah Bard
6 "Jüdisches Fiaker Lied" - "Jewish Coachman's Song" *
• Gustav Pick / Text: Carl Lorens (5:30) Stewart Figa
7 "Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars"
• Music / Text: Irving Berlin (1888-1989) (3:04) Stewart Figa
The Crisis of Tradition and Modernity
8 "Liebeslied an ein Proletariermädchen" - "Love Song to
a Proletarian Girl"
• Gerhard Bronner (b. 1922) / Text: Peter Hammerschlag (1902-c.
1942) (255) Stewart Figa
9 "Couplet des Schmafu" - "Schmafu Couplet" *
• Adolf Müller / Text: Johann Nestroy in Der onfuse
Zauberer / Textual adaptation: Karl Kraus (1874-1936) (2:55) Stewart
Figa
10 "Eine kleine Sehnsucht" - "Do a Little Dreaming"
• Music / Text: Friedrich Holländer (1896-1976) (3:53)
Julia Bentley
11 "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt" - "From Head
to Toe I Am Prepared for Love"
• Music / Text: Friedrich Holländer (3:50) Julia Bentley
12 "Gigerlette"
• Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) from Brettl-Lieder (1901)
/ Text: Otto Julius Birnbaum (1:47) Julia Bentley
13 "Mahnung" - "Warning"
• Arnold Schoenberg from Brettl-Lieder / Text: Gustav
Hochstetter (2:34) Julia Bentley
Response and Resistance: Political Songs
14 "Haman-Arie" - "The 'Haman' Coachman's Song" *
• Gustav Pick from Akiba hat recht gehab in the repertory
of the Arche Revue
• (an exile cabaret in New York City during World War II) (1:53) Stewart
Figa
15 "Ballade von der 'Judenhure' Marie Sanders" - "Ballad of the 'Jewish
Whore,' Marie Sanders"
• Hanns Eisler (1898-1962) / Text: Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
(3:04) Julia Bentley
16 "Der Graben" - "The Trenches"
• Hanns Eisler / Text: Kurt Tucholsky (2:33) Julia Bentley
17 "Solidaritätslied" - "Solidarity Song"
• Hanns Eisler / Text: Bertolt Brecht (2:02) Julia Bentley
18 "An den kleinen Rdioapparat" - "To the Little Radio"
• Hanns Eisler / Text: Bertolt Brecht (1:17) Julia Bentley
19 "Und es sind die finstren Zeiten" - "And the Times Are Dark and
Fearful"
• Hanns Eisler / Text: Bertolt Brecht (0:47) Julia Bentley
Zionist and Pioneer Songs
20 "Havu L'venim" - "Bring the Bricks" *
• Kurt Weill (1900-1950) on a melody by Mordechai Zaira / Text:
Alexander Penn (2:03) Deborah Bard, Stewart Figa
21 "Hine Achal'la Bachalili" - "Lo, I Play upon My Flute" * with Elizabeth
Ko, flute
• Paul Dessau (1894-1979) on a melody by Mordechai Zaira / Text:
Jacob Schönberg (3:59) Deborah Bard
22 "Gam Hayom" - "Day after Day" *
• Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) on a melody by Shalom Postolsky
/ Text by Levi Ben-Amitai (1:16) Julia Bentley
23 "Holem Tza'adi" - "My Step Resounds" *
• Darius Milhaud (on a melody by Mordechai Zaira) / Text: Jacob
Schönberg (2:49) Julia Bentley
24 "Ra'inu Amalenu" - "We Beheld Our Toil" *
• Stefan Wolpe (1902-1972) on a melody y Shalom Postolsky /
Text: Levi Ben-Amitai (1:40) Julia Bentley
25 "Ba'a M'nucha" - "There Comes Peace" *
• Kurt Weill (on a melody by Daniel Sambursky) / Text: Nathan
Alterman (4:20) Julia Bentley
26 "Banu" - "We've Come"
• Aaron Copland (1900-199) on a melody by Joel Walbe / Text:
Nathan Alterman (1:33) Julia Bentley