When I first heard The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind by Osvaldo
Golijov, I knew immediately that I needed to play the work. This meant
becoming proficient on the bass clarinet, then searching for my own
voice in the klezmer style. This project has been a profoundly transformational
journey that has taken me closer to my Eastern European
musical roots. It has been my privilege to share this experience and
discovery with my daughter, Diana. Heartfelt thanks and admiration go
to my special friends and colleagues Isabel Trautwein, Tanya Ell and
Kirsten Docter.
– Franklin Cohen

Forward by the composer, Osvaldo Golijov, from the score of
The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind
I have this image of my great-grandfather, who shared my bedroom when I was seven. I’d wake up and see him by the window, praying with his phylacteries in the early light. I think of him always praying, or fixing things, his pockets full of screws. I remember thinking, three of his children are dead; why does he still pray? Why doe