In 1899 the household of a Jewish lady in Odessa awaits her daughter’s engagement while down in the basement the servants are dreaming, flirting and gossiping as they prepare the celebratory meal. As their alcohol levels increase, a publisher ultimately wins the heart of the lonely cook with socialist literature, charm and the suggestion of pooling their capital. And Chaim, a servant from the neighbouring household, succeeds in proposing marriage to the maid Fradl. Because happiness is for everyone. Masel Tov!

In ‘Masel Tov!’ the Jewish-Polish composer Mieczysław Weinberg (‘The Passenger’) presents his humorous side: between vaudeville and tragi-comic moments he plays on his musical roots. Klezmer melodies can be heard along with waltzes, polkas and galops suffused with the Yiddish musical tradition where bold rhythms and changes of tempi provide the beat. The score is dedicated to his friend Dmitri Shostakovich, whose love of severity he has transposed into his own unmistakable, richly-coloured tonal language. read less