Naxos American Classics, whose 200-CD recording project of American
classical music is in its fifth year, has now embarked on another massive
publishing effort. Plans for the "Milken Archive of American Jewish
Music" call for 50 compact disks of music reflecting the American Jewish
experience in the works of composers, regardless of their religion.

Lowell Milken, chairman of  Milken Family Foundation, announced recordings
of "sacred and secular compositions, from art music for the concert hall
to liturgical music for the synagogue to more popular idioms... expressing
the rich variety of Jewish life in America through more than three
centuries." So far, more than 600 works have been recorded, about 500
never before released commercially, producing 80 hours of music.

The project ranges from opera scenes and choral works based on biblical
narratives (such as the first recording of Kurt Weill's "The Eternal
Road"), to performances on the Yiddish stage, to previously neglected
works by Leonard Bernstein and Darius Milhaud. Income from the series
will be channelled back into educational programs of Santa Monica's
Milken Archive.

Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
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