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Among East European Jews, the occupation of the klezmer, or professional folk musician, has been an ongoing profession for centuries. The word derives from the Hebrew kley-zemer— literally -- vessels of song,” i.e. “musical instruments” and “musicians.” Strictly defined, klezmer music is the folk instrumental music of East European Jews, performed at weddings and other family or community celebrations, including dance tunes as well as music for listening. It is one part of a rich totality of Eastern European Jewish music that includes liturgical and Hasidic music, folksong traditions, Yiddish theatre music, art music, and popular song.

This new compilation from EMI Classics features 2 CDs and a DVD of famed violinist Itzhak Perlman bringing all these elements together in what has been described as some of the finest klezmer music of the last 50 years. The 2 CDs feature klezmer favorites such as “Jewish Wedding Medley,” “Hasidic Dance,” and “Klezmer Suite,” while the DVD contains a variety of bonus footage such as “Perlman’s first Klezmer lesson”, “Klezmer and Mazeltov,” “The Polish Klezmer Festival,” and “Perlman live in New York.” From the Label

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