Alberto Hemsi (1898-1975)
Yom gilla yavo, yavo, op. 17
Adonay malakh (arr. N. Wagner)
Khamisha shirim, op. 25
Coplas Sefardies, op. 44 (Izmir and Anatolia, 1920)
Coplas Sefardies, op. 45 (Istanbul, 1933)
Coplas Sefardies, op. 51 (Middle East, 1928)

Assaf Levitin, baryton
Naaman Wagner, piano

With this third album, the world’s first complete recording of the Coplas Sefardies and of the piano songs by Alberto Hemsi is brought to a successful conclusion. The cantor of the Liberale jüdische Gemeinde Hannover, Assaf Levitin, and the pianist Naaman Wagner have preserved and protected a treasure of European and Jewish cultural history from being forgotten. When the Sephardic Jews were driven off the Iberian Peninsula around 1500, their songs were scattered throughout the entire Mediterranean. Alberto Hemsi collected these songs, having only been passed down orally in Ladino, the language of the Spanish Jews, and gave them a virtuoso and atmospheric piano accompaniment. In this way, Hemsi was a passionate preserver of the musical heritage and folklore of the Sephardic Jews. Within the context of the complete recording of Hemsi’s piano songs this recording also includes the songs “Yom gillá yavó, yavó”, “Adonáy malákh” and the song cycle “Khamishá shirim”.