though slightly tangential to the aforementioned topic, i had my first
 [quasi] klezmer experience a few years ago at the queen elizabeth hall
(sbc) in london. on that night was given a performance of a thrillingly
inebriating melange of klezmer, mahler, jazz, and electronic music. those
of you familiar with uri caine and whom have had the pleasure of attending
one of his concerts know what i'm talking about. as i've always been a
great 'fan' of jazz, as well as new music, and as several of my 'uri
caine fan club' friends in new york told me that i would most certainly
not regret trying it out, i did. what ensued was a brilliantly improvised
version of mahler's 2nd, 4th, and 5th symphonies combined with a liquid
precision of improvisation that would make herbie hancock jealous. the
instrumentation was exactly that of a klezmer/jazz ensemble, with the
added exception of a dj (on stage with the group) who mixed in recordings
of 'real' mahler, as well as aleatory sounds reminiscent of those found
in messiaen's turangalila symphony - without forgetting the fabulous
ondes martenot, of course! (i *did* notice, however, when i subsequently
purchased uri caine's 'urlicht' recording - which contained many of the
works performed at the concert - that the electronic element was not
triumphantly mixed into the recording, but nevertheless, it's still a
keeper)

what struck me most about the concert, however, was the *clarity* with
which the group had succeeded in blending this potentially precarious
amalgam of genres. i've never been a great follower of mahler, nor any
of the late romantics for that matter (with the possible exception of
szymanowski - if post-nationalists can be fit into that category - and
any of rubinstein's descendants). rachmaninov once said that every piece
of music, however long or short in duration, has a very precise point
 [or goal]; it can be climactic or subtle, and anywhere in the piece, not
necessarily at the end.  should that point be overlooked, though, then
the whole piece becomes futile. though this applies mainly to performance,
i'll be as bold as to say that i often have a very difficult time
attempting to find *any* point to mahler's symphonies, as i believe that
there were never any written in...

my position on mahler having been elucidated, i must now concede that i
was enraptured by this performance. mahler's music suddenly *thrived*
in this clever medium! though the introduction of a klezmer 'sound' is
readily apparent in mahler's music, i've always found his music to be
rather drab and extraordinarily boring, but add an amazing ensemble of
 [primarily] jazz musicians and a clarinettist whom i believe was very
familiar with klezmer - the name escapes me completely - and the music
comes alive! focusing my studies on postmodernism at the time, here was
found the perfect example of pomo music, blending this and that in a
bold and convincing manner - a welcome relief from the elitist and
megalomaniacal finger down your throat stockhausen performance i had
attended the previous evening...

solanet olivier
paris, france