Six years and dozens of concerts after our second album, we came back to the recording studio. We were eager to experiment with new sounds and to expand our musical vision. The familiar three-voice blend of Die Drei Kantoren is now backed by a whole orchestra. We hope you enjoyed listening to this recording as much as we enjoyed making it for you.
Die Drei Kantoren are:
Tal Koch, Tenor
Hemi Levison, Baritone
Assaf Levitin, Bass
Naaman Wagner, Piano
Produced, recorded, mixed and orchestrated by David Hason, August – October 2021
Vocal Arrangements: Assaf Levitin, Amnon Seelig, Tal Koch
Recording (Die Drei Kantoren) and mix at David Hason's studio, Berlin
Orchestra recording at the Hansa Studios Berlin, October 2021
Strings recording engineer: Nanni Johnsson
Mastering: Andy Schlegel
English translations: Nicole Gentz
1st Violin: Wagner Rodriguez, Simon Beyer, Giulia Bellingeri
2nd Violin: Benjamin Pant, Joselyne Mariotti, Fabian Bertoncello
Viola: Ruth Mogrovejo, Julia Palecka
Cello: Elisabet Iserte López, Junko Fujii
Flute and piccolo: Martin Bosse-Platière
Clarinet and saxophones: Assaf Levitin
Guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, piano, drums and percussion: David Hason
Piano: Naaman Wagner
Oud: Adam
Vocals: Romina Malinski
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Yoram Teharlev (lyrics), Matti Caspi (music), Assaf Levitin (vocal arrangement), David Hason (arrangement and production)
“Did you see that wonderful horse?
Hurry to the fair and find me a horse like that,
with a spot on its forehead and a spot on its back,
and a shock of silvery hair shining in its tail.”
Thus says the country squire to Moshke, his stable servant,
hands him a hundred rubles and sends him on his way.
Moshke runs to the fair, and lo, what luck!
Next to an inn there stands a goy with a white horse, a perfect match,
with a spot on its forehead and a spot on its back,
and a shock of silvery hair shining in its tail.
The goy, a young fellow, stands there lost in his thoughts,
and under his moustache he sings this little tune:
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
“Teach me that tune, please be so kind”,
says Moshke, and the goy replies:
“Pay me first, this is a normal business deal.
fifty rubles is the price for the song.”
Moshke takes out his purse and pays immediately
And after a minute the two of them start singing together:
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
And now the song is over, and Moshke thinks to ask
“Say, and how much do you want for the beautiful horse
with a spot on its forehead and a spot on its back,
and a shock of silvery hair shining in its tail?”
“One hundred rubles,” says the goy, and Moshke answers
“Fifty I gave already, I’ll add another fifty.”
“No, no, oh no!” laughs the goy, “let’s have a fair deal here,
you already bought the tune for those fifty rubles.
That’s not the way to do it, a song is not a gift!”
So Moshke puts his purse away and goes off on his way.
He strolls from stall to stall, never stopping anywhere,
and singing his new tune to himself:
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
But behold, next to the fair there stands – oh, what luck! –
another goy with a horse just like the first:
with a spot on its forehead and a spot on its back,
and a shock of silvery hair shining in its tail.
The goy, he sings a song – well, hear it for yourself –
a tune that sounds just like the next verse of the first:
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
“Teach me that tune, please be so kind”,
says Moshke, and the goy replies:
“Pay me first, this is a normal business deal,
fifty rubles is the price for the song.”
Moshke takes out his purse and pays immediately
And after a minute the two of them start singing together.
And when the song was over once again he remembered:
“Say, and how much do you want for the beautiful horse
with a spot on its forehead and a spot on its back,
and a shock of silvery hair shining in its tail?”
“One hundred rubles,” says the goy, and Moshke: “Ay-ay-ay,
Fifty I gave already, let me add the boots to that”.
“No, no, oh no, the horse alone is worth a hundred rubles.
The fifty rubles were for the song.”
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
Moshke returns without the horse, the squire is outraged,
He beats him up and throws him off the property
with a bruise on his forehead and a bruise on his back,
And with him he also chases off his wife and children.
But on their way, from village to village, through forest and through towns,
despite hunger and cold they sing again and again:
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
And one day, years later, they came to a city
where a famous rabbi lived.
The rabbi sat in silence and looked at them closely,
while in the sky three stars announced the start of a new week.
He asked, “Where are you coming from, and where then will you sleep?”
They were about to answer him, but then burst into song:
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
Then the yeshiva students laughed, so did the Chassidim,
But the rabbi’s face went red with anger
He banged on his table and declared in a loud voice:
“Are you all deaf? Do you not hear?
We have been waiting years for this exact song,
the song that we will sing when the Messiah Son of David finally arrives.”
Ay-ay-ay-ay…
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