Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

There is too much on this CD to do it justice so let us start with the bare facts. There are 19 tracks although many of them are extracts rather than complete. Nevertheless we still have 79 minutes of music at a generous £4.99. The music comes from the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music and "Classical" is merely what it says on the label. We get a fascinating glimpse of the variety of Jewish music that is out there just waiting for we Gentiles to discover it. Highlights include Dave Brubeck's jazz "Gates Of Justice", Leonard Berstein's "Hashkiveinu", written for the synagogue but still unmistakably Bernstein, Paul Schoenfield's viola concerto that depicts King David dancing before the Ark, an extract from Kurt Weill's most ambitious stage work, "The Eternal Road", and much more. We have texts in Hebrew, Ladino and Yiddish - with translations supplied - as well as in English; we have folk music, synagogue music including some spectacular examples of the art of the Cantor, and secular music from ballet, opera and vaudeville but, it has to be said, nothing that could really be described as Messianic.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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