Solomon Rosowsky (1878–1962) was one of the founding members of the influential Society for Jewish Folk Music in St Petersburg. The son of a prominent cantor, Rosowsky was an eminent scholar of synagogue chant in his own right. His instrumental and vocal chamber music reveals much wider influences, ancient and modern. From a whirling showpiece for piano trio via tender lullabies to the Mediterranean desert evoked in the Biblical drama Jacob and Rachel, Rosowsky’s music embraces the rich and varied heritage of the Jewish people. This is the fourth album in the Toccata ‘Russian Jewish Classics’ series, with more in preparation.

The musicians of the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival are the highest-calibre local professionals; players for the orchestral and chamber-music concerts include members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestras, and faculty members of the music departments from Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne Universities. The Festival was founded in 2004 by the cellist Aron Zelkowicz. In its eleven seasons, it has programmed over 130 pieces of classical chamber and orchestral music inspired by Jewish traditions. The recordings on this CD series represent a six-year project devoted to the St Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk Music and its affiliated Russian composers. The Festival website can be found at www.pjmf.net

Musicians of the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival:
- Damian Bursill-Hall (flute, piccolo)
- Beverly Crawford (flute)
- Scott Bell (oboe, cor anglais)
- Rita Mitsel (oboe)
- Ron Samuels (clarinet)
- Philip Pandolfi (bassoon)
- James Rodgers (bassoons)
- George Willis (percussion)
- Nurit Pacht (violin)
- Aron Zelkowicz (cello)
- Luz Manriquez (piano)
- Anastasia Seifetdinova (piano)
- Natasha Snitkovsky (piano)