Laughter through tears

Les Yeux Noir

Traditional Klezmer music of Eastern European Jewry is thriving despite its suppression by Nazi and Soviet regimes

Aug. 26, 2006. 01:00 AM
RICK WHELAN
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

When the cultural traditions of a threatened people are represented in a single art form, this art form provides a durable vessel for the hopes and dreams of this struggling culture, no matter how fierce the forces trying to destroy it.

Once comprising the very heart of traditional Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish life, klezmer music was a much- silenced art form during the latter part of the 20th century, since, under the Nazis and later the Communists, it was strictly forbidden to participate in any Jewish cultural activities whatsoever.

But just like those old Russian women who kept faith with the ancient traditions of the Orthodox Church during Soviet atheism, a group of stubborn old klezmorim (klezmer musicians) risked life and limb to keep the spirit of klezmer music alive and well during the dark Nazi and Soviet eras.

They secretly nurtured their "roots" music by playing it in the privacy of their own homes or at small village celebrations.

Klezmer music has always been an extremely vital part of Jewish culture. The name "klezmer" comes from the Yiddish word kley, meaning vessel or instrument, and zemer, meaning song. The tradition traces its origins to the shtetls of eastern Europe in the 16th century.

The klezmer musicians were travelling troubadours often more fond of wine, women and song than the strict observance of religious traditions. They often found themselves at the centre of joyous occasions and holidays prior to World War II.

During the war, the music was carried into the ghettos or worse, was lost in the horror of the concentration camps.

But this besieged music was too vibrant to die. And its happy resurgence today is due in no small part to those persevering klezmorim who kept the spark alive during Europe's dark years.

From Tuesday through Sept. 4, Toronto will once again play host to the wildly popular Ashkenaz — A Festival of Yiddish Culture, a bountiful outpouring of music, theatre, art, dance, literature, cabaret and film.

And klezmer music will be an integral part of the festival. On Tuesday at Earl Bales Park in North York, fans will be treated to a free concert as musicians from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Estonia collaborate for "East Travels West: All-Stars of the Former Soviet Union." It is a gathering which some aficionados are dubbing a true summit of klezmer.

The Kharkov Klezmer Band, from Kharkov, Ukraine, will be one of the featured bands at this summit. The band is composed of a group of conservatory- trained musicians. Led by violinist Stanislav Rayko, Kharkov has performed across Europe, bringing Eastern Jewish music back to the consciousness of those who had long been forced to do without it.

Rayko, who was born in Kharkov but now lives in Germany, is recognized internationally as a leading performer and educator in the revival of Jewish music. Prior to his Toronto appearance, he appeared in Montreal at KlezKanada, a Quebec-based Yiddish cultural festival.

"Both my parents are pianists," Rayko says in a telephone interview from Montreal. "I wanted to play an instrument but the piano was out because my parents were practising all the time. So when I was 5, I started to play the violin."

Rayko attended music college and then graduated from the Music Institute of Arts in Kharkov.

"I was always interested in playing more than just the classical repertoire," he says, "but when I joined a folk group, my teacher became very frustrated, telling me, `This music isn't serious.' So I quit."

But his interest persisted. While in college, Rayko took part in a Ukrainian folk ensemble.

"That was an amazing project because we played original ancient Ukrainian music that our leader discovered in his travels. There are a couple of pieces from that period that I still have in my repertoire today."

Rayko played his first klezmer concert in 1991 in what he believes was the first post-Soviet-era concert of Jewish music in Kharkov.

"I started to play with a klezmer group led by Ada Krichevskaya. We were really just amateurs then and we played mostly popular Yiddish songs like `Bay mir bistu shejn' and `Bublichki.'"

Rayko remembers seeing a music video of an American klezmer band. Itzhak Perelman appeared on the video.

"That was when I discovered I wanted to play klezmer more than anything else," Rayko says.

Asked to define klezmer, the violinist simply says, "It's Jewish music! It's the music to listen to when you cry, when you have fun ... when you drink vodka and when you dance!"

He confesses he has never heard the term "Jewish jazz" but he thinks some people perhaps call it that because improvisation plays a big role in klezmer.

"I think probably `Jewish jazz' pertains mostly to American klezmer music. Many jazz musicians in the 1920s and '30s were Jews who grew up listening to klezmer from childhood. I think klezmer had a great influence on the way they played jazz."

Although traditional klezmer tunes are deeply rooted in Jewish prayer chants, Rayko emphasizes that the music is now almost totally secular.

For many klezmer fans, the music is based on a concept best described as "laughter through tears." At weddings, for instance, the music captures the bittersweet moment ... the joy of starting a new family but also the sadness of the young ones leaving the childhood home.

Rayko feels that klezmer music is particularly appropriate today for Jews as they look back on a history of heartache and extreme peril.

"For the past 2,000 years, the Jews have lost much and have had many of their temples destroyed. We must not forget this. For example, during a Jewish wedding a glass is broken. This signifies the reality that things are here one moment and smashed the next. Life has always been tough for Jews ... especially in Eastern Europe, where klezmer originated."

Rayko also underscores the importance of those heroic klezmorim who preserved Jewish music when it was risky to do so.

"For Jews who lived in the former Soviet Union, because they were denied this music for so many years, now it seems almost exotic to them. We had two generations who never heard klezmer at all. But now we have people attending klezmer concerts ... klezmer fans are growing in Moscow and Petersburg. They now hear the music in nightclubs and music festivals. And it's like fresh air!"

For a full schedule of events see http://www.ashkenazfestival.com

Rick Whelan is a freelance writer who lives in Stratford, Ont.