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Composer(s): Schiff, David
Conductor(s): Kiesler, Kenneth
Ensemble(s): Third Angle Ensemble
Artist(s): Besley, Megan; Fortunato, D' Anna; Glenn, Thomas; Hunt, Bryan; Mercurio, Alissa; Oliphant, Tyler; Rideout, Vale; Schiff, Judith; Walsh, Kevin; Zeller, Richard
Label: Naxos
Series: American Opera Classics
Genre: Opera
Period: Contemporary
Catalogue No: 8.669010-11
Barcode: 0730099901079
Release Date: 05/2007
SCHIFF, D.: Gimpel the Fool
Gimpel the Fool is a setting of the story by Polish-born American Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991). In the words of the composer, also of Polish descent, �it turned out to be world full of spirits and demons, as well as a world inseparable from Judaism�. The opera was given its first performance in November 1975 at Hebrew Union College in New York as a version for singers and piano. It was subsequently orchestrated and the full version is heard on this recording. David Schiff was born in New York City in 1945. He studied composition with Ursula Mamlok at the Manhattan School of Music and with Elliott Carter at the Juilliard School, and is the author of books on the music of Elliott Carter and George Gershwin. Since 1980 Schiff has taught at Reed College, Portland, Oregon.
Tracklist
Disc 1
Schiff, David
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Besley, Megan (soprano)
Rideout, Vale (tenor)
Mercurio, Alissa (soprano)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Besley, Megan (soprano)
Rideout, Vale (tenor)
Mercurio, Alissa (soprano)
|  | 1 | Act I: Overture: We are here to tell you the tale of Gimpel (Badkhen) | 02:29 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 2 | Act I: Let us begin, at the ending (Badkhen, Elka, Gimpel), "Elka's Death-Bed Scene" | 04:23 |
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
| | 3 | Act I: So Elka deceived me, and I just believed her (Gimpel, Badkhen, Townspeople), "Gimpel's Monologue" | 04:03 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 4 | Act I: Once we saw how easy it was to fool Gimpel… (Badkhen, Townspeople, Gimpel) | 09:38 |
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
| | 5 | Act I: Gimpel was so confused… (Badkhen, Rabbi), "The Rabbi's Advice" | 01:56 |
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
| | 6 | Act I: But even the Rabbi's ugly daughter… (Badkhen, Rabbi's Daughter, Rabbi, Gimpel) | 01:09 |
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Besley, Megan (soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Besley, Megan (soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 7 | Act I: Matchmaking for Gimpel! (Badkhen) - Little March | 01:17 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 8 | Act I: So that's the one! (Elka, Gimpel, Badkhen, Rabbi) | 05:01 |
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 9 | Act I: The wedding ceremony took place… (Badkhen) - Little March (reprise) | 01:09 |
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
| | 10 | Act I: Mi adir al hakol… (Rabbi) | 02:00 |
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 11 | Act I: O echod mi yodeya? (Badkhen, Townspeople, Rabbi), "Badkhen's Song" | 04:45 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 12 | Act I: Akhas asor, yom la khoidesh adar… (Rabbi, Badkhen), "The Wedding Contract" | 01:01 |
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 13 | Act I: All day long I watch the clouds (Yetta, Wolf-Leib), "The Wedding Song" | 04:47 |
Besley, Megan (soprano)
Rideout, Vale (tenor)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Rideout, Vale (tenor)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 14 | Act I: Sameyakh tesamakh reyim hahuvim (Rabbi) | 00:59 |
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 15 | Act I: It was a black moment for Gimpel (Badkhen, Gimpel) | 04:13 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
| | 16 | Act I: Mazel Tov (all) | 02:18 |
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 17 | Act I: Elka, don't leave your new husband… (Gimpel, Elka, Badkhen) | 01:49 |
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Disc 2
| | 1 | Act II: Four months after the wedding…, (Badkhen, Gimpel, Elka, Rabbi) - Lullaby | 04:10 |
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 2 | Act II: But what was the connection between Elka and Eve? (Badkhen) - Pantomime | 01:44 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 3 | Act II: Out of love to my wife… (Gimpel), "Bread Song" | 03:35 |
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
| | 4 | Act II: Night Music | 02:26 |
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 5 | Act II: O I forgot to tell you about my goat (Gimpel, Goat) - Where is the lad? (Gimpel, Elka) | 02:09 |
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Mercurio, Alissa (soprano)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Mercurio, Alissa (soprano)
| | 6 | Act II: May all the dreams I've dreamed tonight… (Elka, Townspeople, Gimpel), "Elka's Gevalt" | 01:31 |
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
| | 7 | Act II: Gimpel had no choice… (Badkhen, Gimpel, Townspeople, Elka, Rabbi), "The Divorce" | 03:03 |
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
| | 8 | Act II: I should have gotten angry (Gimpel, Badkhen), "Gimpel's Second Monologue" | 01:30 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
| | 9 | Act II: Little March (reprise) - Gimpel, you're not fair to Elka (Townspeople, Gimpel, Rabbi) | 02:54 |
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Glenn, Thomas (tenor)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 10 | Act II: And if Maimonides says it's kosher! (Gimpel, Badkhen) - Pantomime - Now listen Gimpel… (Elka, Gimpel), "Elka's Death-Bed Scene" (continued) | 02:59 |
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 11 | Act II: One night as he lay asleep in the bakery… (Badkhen, Evil One, Gimpel) | 05:02 |
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Mercurio, Alissa (soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Mercurio, Alissa (soprano)
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
| | 12 | Act II: Gimpel, what have you done now? (Elka's Ghost, Gimpel) | 04:24 |
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
| | 13 | Act II: Finale: Heeding Elka's words, Gimpel dug a hole in the ground… (Badkhen, Gimpel, Townspeople, Boy) | 04:32 |
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
| | 14 | Act II: Finale (continued): You always tell the same stories (Boy, Gimpel, Elka, Badkhen) | 06:10 |
Zeller, Richard (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Third Angle Ensemble (Ensemble)
Fortunato, D' Anna (mezzo-soprano)
Walsh, Kevin (baritone)
Total Playing Time: 01:39:06