As Dreams Fall Apart is the second in a series of recordings devoted to the repertory of European Jewish song in the 20th century by Chicago's Cedille label; the
New Budapest Orpheum Society is an American ensemble despite its name, and the singers are Americans often associated with the group. No matter: they do convincing reproductions of the large variety of ensembles involved in this music. Despite the grimly comic graphics, the Holocaust has somewhat of a peripheral presence here except in the two songs by Viktor Ullmann, and the famous Buchenwaldlied, composed at the concentration camp by
Hermann Leopoldi (who survived and was bribed out by his wife) is not included. Instead, the repression Jews faced in Germany and Austria is shown in the migration of several composers here to the U.S., and this recording would be worth the purchase price if all it did was trace the link between the European Jewish experience and the music that began to appear in Hollywood in the late 1930s. It does that, and much more. The songs are in Yiddish, German, and English, and they're often delightful. Some might be called art songs and others cabaret songs, but the commonalities are more significant than the differences of medium, and there are many hidden gems in both fields. Despite the serious themes lurking about, much of the material is comic. Sample
Leopoldi's Composers' Revolution in Heaven (CD 1, track 8) for an idea of the fun. The singers understand that they're dealing with material intended for theatrical presentation and are broad without mugging. The booklet comes in the form of an academic essay that will be of interest to those specializing in the material, but the label might have done well to include a shorter general introduction too. This is a major rediscovery of material that shows the richness of the culture that was lost, and it is very highly recommended. ~ James Manheim