Varnitshkes - Misha Alexandrovich

Born in Berspils,Latvia in 1914, by the age of 7, Misha Alexendrovich was known throughout Europe as “The Wonderkind“ and was invited by the great Benjamino Gigli to Milan to become one of this last disciples. Alexandrovich become of the most popular artists in the Soviet Union, having sold more than 20,000,000 records while pursuing his career as Cantor. From 1945 to1971, he was prohibited from practicing his profession as Cantor since religious activity was prohibited in the Soviet Union. In this period, however, he was “permitted“ to give private concerts for Stalin and Krushchev. In the early 1970s, he was permitted to leave the Soviet Union, and became Chief Cantor of the Great Synagogue of Ramat Gan in Israel and performed to sold out audiences in concerts throughout the world. The selections on this CD consist of recordings from 1968 on the Melodiya label, accompanied by chamber orchestra, and from 1972, recorded in Tel Aviv by RCA.