Hilda Bronstein

Singer and Teacher of Yiddish Song

Early in 2009 Hilda formed a musical alliance with three versatile instrumentalists to form her own exciting musical trio. They are Yair Schleider on piano, guitar, and accordion, Dave Shulman on clarinet and bass clarinet, and Paul Moylan on double bass. From Klezmer to Yiddish Swing and from the traditional sounds of Eastern Europe to music composed for the twenty first century, these guys capture that essential ‘Yiddish’ sound that warms the heart. They have already performed to standing ovations and rave reviews. The trio has recently been joined by Meg Hamilton on violin and viola, and Ronen Kozokaro on percussion to form the band Chutzpah! They have just launched Hilda’s next CD, Hilda Bronstein Sings Yiddish Songs with Chutzpah!

Review

Hilda Bronstein and her New Klezmer Trio, led by Israeli pianist and accordionist Yair Schleider, made a debut appearance. The expectant crowd was not to be disappointed. Hilda’s first glorious song, accompanied by her talented musicians, immediately had the audience under her spell. It was impossible not to clap, tap feet or join in with the chorus, whether one had a sense of rhythm or not. This first song ‘Zingt Oyf Yidish’ by Arkady Gendler, who kept Jewish culture alive in the former Soviet Union, drew the Maidenhead audience into our past and the miracle of survival.

In the recording studio

Following Hilda’s first song, the New Klezmer Trio played a wide-ranging selection of traditional Klezmer and swing, enlightening us with interesting commentaries. Like her trio, Hilda knows how to make her songs accessible to those of us who know little Yiddish. The songs are always linked to the life cycles of ordinary people in small communities of Eastern Europe... The manner of the telling and the power of the music meant that these stories were never sentimental... prolonged applause ended the evening and we all hope this concert might become an annual event.

April 2009 - Jenny Cooper in Hadashot Magazine.