Englisch version of biography

Although the ‘Klezmer Reloaded’ project first came into existence in 2008, it has already met with the enthusiastic approval of the Austrian public, with performances at several famous Austrian/ Viennese places such MUSIKVEREIN or jazz club ‘Porgy & Bess’, but to name a few...

Maciej Golebiowski and Alexander Shevchenko both came to Vienna, a city which has always had a strong connection to Eastern Europe, a few years ago...

Both brought distinguished classical training from Poland and Russia with them. In Austria they were confronted by diverse, and for them new, musical worlds and their paths crossed many times through various performances.

They got to know each other better in Leon Pollak’s ‘Ensemble Klesmer Wien’, where they perform traditional Jewish music. They had a lot of fun making music together and quickly found common ground – in huge enthusiasm and endless inspiration. It was musical understanding at first sight. So they decided to bring this enthusiasm onto the stage, reinventing Klezmer music.

They play what crystallised out of their sessions together: Klezmer hasn’t disappeared, but instead the musicians have developed their own language to express it. These two open-minded musicians make use of their broad musical background and create their own art of klezmer in every concert. They base their musical expression on improvisation and the connection of elements of Ukrainian folk music with jazz, classic, funky and oriental sounds right up to contemporary music.

Golebiowski’s clarinet becomes lost in furious improvisations and he himself sings a Polish Tango.

Shevchenko’s accordion answers with densely woven solos that never really want to end.

The result: a program full of stylistic surprises and yet an example of chamber music that really works, as can be heard on the CD ‘Klezmer Reloaded’, released on Extraplatte.