Klezmer Music: From Origins to Today

About the programme

An evening with Cologne violinist Igor Epstein and his Klezmer Tov ensemble, tracing klezmer music from its origins to the present.

The celebration and ritual music of Eastern European Jewish communities speaks to the feet, ears and heart. Instruments and voices invite audiences to listen, move and discover. Yiddish melodies combine deep emotion with wit, humour and a joy for life. An introduction explores the history, context and more recent influences of klezmer music.

The programme explores different forms of Yiddish song and the distinctive instrumental traditions of Jewish Eastern Europe. It opens a door to Jewish culture for Jewish and non-Jewish audiences alike.

Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish, Hungarian and Middle Eastern influences meet in this music, forming a bridge between cultures – a shared language of the soul.