Tugendhaft dedicates music to family

PETER FELDMAN

Tugendhaft, a well-known figure in the Jewish community whose passion for singing has taken him to great international heights, launched “Reflections”, his most personal album to date, at the Auto & General Theatre on the Square, in Sandton.

The 13-track CD is dedicated to the loving memory of his late wife Karin and to his children Dalya, David, Jonathan and Aviva.

Yael confided that this was the most moving experience of her life, especially since it was the first time they had performed together in front of family and friends. “It was a dream come true.”

It was also a special moment for Tugendhaft, who said: “It was a very moving experience singing with her. She has a beautiful and empathetic voice and both of us have been trained by Ann Hamblin, so that our musical styles are very easy to combine.”

The highlight of their combined performance was a duet of Leonard Cohen’s emotive “Dance Me To The End of Love” and “En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor”.

Yael also duets with her uncle on his album, but her own album, “Fly Away”, was released in November last year.

While their combined performance was a highlight at the launch, the show was Tugendhaft accompanied by a seven-piece orchestra, under the direction of Dan Selsick.

Singing tracks from the CD, Tugendhaft showed his world-class, performing such uplifting classics as “Bring Him Home”, “Sogno” and “If I Loved You” from Carousel.

Talking to Jewish Report about the CD, he said: “I was looking for songs that were timeless and that represented the many facets of everyone’s life – the joy and happiness that we sometimes feel, the sadness, the loss, our hopes and our dreams.”

He acknowledged that “Reflections” is his most heartfelt project. “I know that each of these songs would have been very special to Karin, as they are to my children.”

He feels lyrics are as important as the music itself. “A memorable song is an interpretation of words, of poetry. I look for lyrics that can speak to us, that can tell us something about who we are, something real about life.”

For this 13th album, Tugendhaft once again collaborated with renowned musician and arranger Dan Selsick. “I have worked with Dan over the years and he has been responsible for a number of the arrangements on some of my other albums. I was looking for an arranger who could bring originality,  excitement as well as sensitivity to cover songs performed by other artists,” he said.

“Some of these are very old compositions, and it was important to have someone like Dan bring to bear a new modern contemporary feel, which would be completely different from any of the original recordings.”

Selsick sourced the musicians because they were looking for a live sound which was important for the compositions that Tugendhaft chose and in order to give them a dynamic and passionate feel.

“Because there were so many musicians involved, it was sometimes difficult to co‑ordinate times for recording sessions and we found that everyone would be available in the early hours of the morning – hence, sometimes recording at 03:00!”

Tugendhaft’s past recordings have been solo albums, as well as work with his former

Sydenham Synagogue Choir (with arrangements by Professor Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph), and as resident cantor with the Johannesburg Jewish Male Choir.

Tugendhaft began singing at the age of six when he joined the synagogue choir and became a child soloist at the age of seven.

“In my late teens I trained and conducted synagogue choirs and subsequently became the cantor of the Sydenham Synagogue in 1985, a position I held for many years.

“I studied liturgical and cantorial music under Cantor Shlomo Mandel. I studied singing for many years, first with Francis Russell, a former principal tenor of the Covent Garden Opera House, and subsequently with Ann Hamblin, who is still my vocal coach.”

On stage with him were Black Yogurt, a three-piece vocal group, whose dynamic sound impressed him.

Tugendhaft has been invited to do a series of concerts in Australia at the end of the year. He will be taking Black Yogurt, 10 musicians, with musical director Professor Zaidel‑Rudolph and a choir of 12 backing singers along. The show will be entitled “Voices‑Africa to Israel in Song”.