''Momele'' ( yi, Mama) is a studio album by Georgian and Russian singer

Tamara Gverdtsiteli Tamara Mikhailovna Gverdtsiteli ( ka, თამარ გვერდწითელი}, russian: Тамара Михайловна Гвердцители; born 18 January 1962) is a Georgian-Russian singer and actress. Early life and educati ...

released on 26 May 2017 by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. The album features the most popular Jewish songs in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

. The Moscow Jewish Men's Choir and the

Moscow Symphony Orchestra The Moscow Symphony Orchestra is a non-state-supported Russian symphony orchestra, founded in 1989 by the sisters Ellen and Marina Levine. The musicians include graduates from such institutions as Moscow, Kiev, and Saint Petersburg Conservatory ...

took part in the recording of the album.

Overview

Tamara Gverdtsiteli spent her childhood in Odessa in a Jewish environment (her grandfather was a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

). According to her, many of the songs presented on the album were played at her home, so she wanted to remember them and convey the warm home atmosphere, and at the same time to remember the tragedy of the lives of Jewish people who were forced to leave Odessa during the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

in 1941. The singer dedicated this album to her mother, and, according to her, this work is very dear to her. Gverdtsiteli selected the material for the album together with the artistic director of the Moscow Jewish Men's Chapel, Alexander Tsalyuk. The songs from the album were presented a year before the release of the record, in June 2016 on the stage of New York's Carnegie Hall. Later, this program was called "Mamele-Mama's Eyes", with which the singer gave concerts in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Track listing

References

{{reflist 2017 albums Universal Music Group albums Yiddish-language albums Albums by Russian artists