A collective title like this is a convenient way of gathering together apparently diverse material. Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes is not one of his greatest works, but personable enough when so vividly presented, while the selection of Bloch pieces, eloquently played, with Yuli Turovsky on the cello, has a pervading melancholy. Not surprisingly, their Hebrew character is very insistent and they are all melodically appealing, but are best approached separately.
The masterpiece here is the Shostakovich song-cycle, written in 1948 at the height of a frighteningly virulent wave of Soviet anti-semitism, stirred up by Stalin and culminating in the so-called ''Doctors' Plot'', when many leading physicians were accused of scheming to murder not just Stalin but the whole Soviet hierarchy. Shostakovich sympathized deeply with the plight of his Jewish compatriots, but he was also moved by the character of Jewish folk-music: ''It can appear happy while it is tragic. It almost always brings laughter through tears. Jews were tormented so long that they learned to hide their despair and expressed it in their dance music.'' Similarly, his group of 11 marvellously telling vocal vignettes constantly lifts the spirit through its mixture of sadness and acceptance. Even the final song, ''Happiness'', fails to ring true. This was simulated Stalinist happiness and the rejoicing of the shoemaker's wife that her sons had become doctors brought the hidden irony of the knowledge of the fabricated accusations against that profession. The diversity of the settings is remarkable, and every song is arresting in its colour and strength of characterization and feeling, besides having a strong melodic contour. Many are set for more than one voice, in dialogue form, and what makes the present performances so enjoyable is the way the voices of these singers, while having strong individual character, blend together without abrasiveness. ''The thoughtful mother and aunt'', for instance, has soprano and mezzo-soprano vibrant without conflicting wobbles. In short the singing throughout is very fine and the result is a kaleidoscope of mood changes, which makes the most compelling listening. The recording is vivid and full of atmosphere.[C32B001630]'