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…for Sonja

This recording is dedicated to Tony Gould's dear friend Sonja Krawatt. It is a collection of traditional and emotionally rich Jewish melodies. Cello and clarinet join Tony Gould's piano on some of the tracks.

"Sonja Krawatt was a remarkable woman in many ways: generous, spirited, a lover of music and the other arts, passionate about life and her fellow human beings.

"The pieces on this recording are all well known especially in Jewish circles, but they are such lovely songs melodically their appeal crosses cultural boundaries quiet easily, as all good music does. The majority of them are traditional and emotionally rich. The inclusion of the more recent theme by John Williams from the wonderful movie Schindler’s List is a lovely example of how our great art transcends time, and is capable of underpinning the most profound human feelings.

"The woman to whom this recording is named and dedicated was a great lover of music and the other arts and a generous spirit in the broadest sense of the term." – Tony Gould

Artist

Tony Gould

Pianist and composer Tony Gould is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. His career has embraced many styles of music, not least jazz and other improvisatory musics in addition to traditional and contemporary classical musics. He gives many concerts each year and for 50 years he has been involved in an extraordinary number of recording projects both as pianist and composer and has been at the forefront of music education in Australia via various tertiary institutions in Melbourne and throughout Australia.


Press quotes

“Gould begins his title track with a gentle meditative walk showing hints of Jewish tropes, including the repetitious shape of certain sequential phrases, the gentlest of intermediary seventh cords, and suggestions of minor-inflected modes. Cellist Imogen Manins joins in for two interludes. At the fireplace brings Manins back to play the lyric itself, followed by Adam Simmons working through a variant of the tune on clarinet. The trio participates as an entity towards the end of Tum balalaika, during which Gould enjoys an extended solo, Manins outlines the tune both straight and elaborated, and Simmons offers the most subtle of interference plays in an episode following his own yawp-inflected solo handling of the theme, which appears clearly on both guest instruments in a final round-up.”

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— Clive O'Connell, O'Connell the Music

“The piano, clarinet and cello sounds are to me amongst the most beautiful in all music. And given that Jewish melodies are rich in ambiguity – hovering between joy and sadness back and forth – the programme reflects these tendencies. The program is bookended by two originals by Gould, For Sonja and Encore Sonja which for me are the most affecting in the programme. The first is a simple, elegant duo conversation of cello and piano with a strong melody and sweet harmony at adagio tempo. The second piano solo perhaps at largo tempo, with much sustain, is a felt conclusion and elegiac musical farewell. The program may be personal but the music is universal, consummately played by all three participants.”

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— Ian Muldoon, Music Trust e-zine Loud Mouth

Audio previews

Track Listing

  1. For Sonja Tony Gould
  2. At the fireplace (Traditional)
  3. Let us all together (Traditional)
  4. Peace unto you (Traditional)
  5. Raisins and almonds (Traditional)
  6. Tum Balalaikav (Traditional)
  7. Rayzele (Traditional)
  8. Jewish mother (Traditional)
  9. Schindler's list John Williams
  10. Encore Sonja Tony Gould

Performers

Composer

John Williams


Where to buy

…for Sonja is available for download from the iTunes Music Store.
It's available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music.

…for Sonja is available as as CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer secure online ordering.

Move CDs can be ordered through music retailers across Australia including Readings.

Product details

List price
$25.00 AUD
Release date
2015
Copyright
© 2015 Move Records
Phonogram
℗ 2015 Move Records
Categories
Folk music, Jazz
Catalogue number
MCD 517
Alternate catalogue number
MCD517
Barcode
EAN 9314574051728