The Fascinating George Gershwin Vesko Eschkenazy & Ludmil Angelov

• An American in Paris (arr. for violin and piano)
• 1 An American in Paris 05:18
• 3 Preludes
• 2 I. Prelude I 01:36
• 3 II. Prelude II 04:03
• 4 III. Prelude III 01:24
• Lady, be Good! (arr. for violin and piano)
• 5 Fascinating Rhythm 03:33
• Girl Crazy (version for violin and piano)
• 6 I Got Rhythm 03:46
• Oh, Kay! (arr. for violin and piano)
• 7 Clap yo' hands 04:02
• Lullaby (version for chamber ensemble)
• 8 Lullaby 09:03
• Triple Tribute
• 9 Triple Tribute 05:46
• Rhapsody in Blue (arr. for violin, clarinet, cello and piano)
• 10 Rhapsody in Blue 10:13
• Oh, Kay!: Someone to Watch Over Me (arr. H. Cable)
• 11 Someone to Watch Over Me 04:17
• 12 Embraceable You 04:10
• Fantasy in 7 Colors
• 13 Fantasy in Seven Colors 11:18
• The Goldwyn Follies: Love is here to stay (arr. P. Breiner)
• 14 Love is Here to Stay 03:57
• Total Runtime 01:12:26

Info for The Fascinating George Gershwin

Following a number of successful duo performances by Vesko Eshkenazy and Ludmil Angelov the idea of recording an album with the two of them began to take shape. Angelov suggested doing something with music by George Gershwin. However Gershwin's original repertoire for violin and piano is rather limited. It consists of precisely one small composition entitled Short Story which has so far remained little known composed in association with the violinist Samuel Dushkin.

Therefore it was decided first to use the historic arrangements by Jascha Heifetz the brilliant violinist and bosom friend of Gershwin. Heifetz' arrangement of the Three Preludes For Piano contains in the outer movements various spectacular violin passages such as could be written only by an exceptional virtuoso. By contrast in the Andante it is the simplicity of the writing itself which demands the violinist's full input. Apart from this arrangement which he himself also recorded - and a frequently performed selection from Porgy and Bess Heifetz also worked on a violin-piano arrangement of An American in Paris.

This album begins with this work the version of which was compiled from Heifetz' remaining sketches by his pupil and accompanist the Indonesian violinist and pianist Ayke Agus.

"With jazzy glissandi, a natural feel for timing and above all a lot of guts and schwung violinist Vesko Eschkenazy, concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has now recorded these works on a light but also solid album... all participating musicians blend sublime together in an ensemble sound which calls for more of this kind of enthusiastic co-operations." (Mischa Spel, NRC Handelsblad)

"We have 14 tracks including a five-minute American in Paris, a ten-minute Rhapsody in Blue (with the opening solo played by the famous George Pieterson, principal clarinet of the Concertgebouw), and various songs and shorter works. These are bold performances vividly played very well recorded , with the performers in front, ambient sound from the rear." (Robert Benson, Classical-CD-Rreview)

Vesko Eschkenazy, violin Ludmil Angelov, piano

Marijin Mijnders, 2nd violin Henk Rubingh, viola Gregor Horsch, cello George Pieterson, clarinet Herman Rieken, percussion

Original arrangements: Bob Zimmerman

Vesko Eschkenazy - Violinist
“Vesko Eschkenazy is a brilliant violinist” – remarks the De Telegraaf in November 2000, one of the largest dailies in the Kingdom of Netherlands, after his interpretation of the Violin Concerto #1 by Szymanovski with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Eschkenazy has been its concertmaster since the beginning of the 1999/2000 season.

Born in Bulgaria in 1970 into a family of musicians, still a child, Vesko appeared as an orchestra leader. At 11 years old he became concertmaster of the youth Philharmonic Orchestra of Prof. Vladi Simeonov. He is a graduate of the L. Pipkov National Music School in Sofia and of the P. Vladiguerov State Music Academy where he studied violin with Angelina Atanazzova and Prof. Petar Hristoskov.

In 1990, Vesko Eschkenazy left Bulgaria for London and completed a two year Masters Degree for solo performers with Prof. Ifra Neaman at the Guildhall School of Music, and received a Solo Recital Diploma – 1992. He is a laureate of the International Violin Competitions “Wieniawski” , Beijing and Carl Flesch in London. He performs extensively in Europe, USA, South America, India, China and takes part in the festivals Midem in Cannes, Montpellier and Atlantic – France, the Music Festivals in Nantes and Rheims, the New Year Music Festival in Sofia, Varna Summer and Apolonia.

Vesko Eschkenazy has performed as soloist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Mexico City Symphony, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Bach Chamber Orchestra – Berlin to name a few. He has taken part in concerts alongside Montserrat Caballe, Placido Domingo, Alexis Weissenberg, Yuri Bashmet, and Mstislav Rostropovich and has played under the direction of Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Carlo-Maria Giulini, Seiji Ozawa, and Emil Tchakarov.

Each concert season is extremely full of engagements for Vesko Eschkenazy; some of his most outstanding performances were that of the Violin Concerto by Mozart in A major under Mariss Jansons, and the Dvorak Violin Concerto under Sir Colin Davis and coming up in November 2008 performances of the Barber violin concerto conducted by Jaap van Zweden, all with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In April-May 2009 Eschkenazy performed extensively with his brother, the conductor Martin Panteleev, with whom he performed the Dvorak violin concerto with Orkest van het Oosten, Mozart a major concerto Nr.5 with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and many other woks. The two brothers accomplished a tour to Sofia and Istanbul with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra in the same time.

Vesko Eschkenazy records for the Dutch Pentatone Classics CD label, his recording with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra of violin concertos by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Schubert received the highest appraisal of the critics. On this occasion the Luister Magazine, Holland remarks: “Vesko Eschkenazy writes history with his new super recording for the Pentatone Classics of the violin concertos by Mozart and Mendelssohn”. Michael Libovits (USA’s Classics Today), adds: “he tackles Mozart with brilliance; Schubert with a stable phrasing … his warm, well rounded tone competes with any other recording of a famous violinist …”

In 1995 Vesko Eschkenazy joined the pianist Ludmil Angelov to perform sonata duos. They have given a large number of concerts in Europe, exceptionally successful and warmly accepted were those by the Spanish audiences (in the cities of Gijon, Toledo and Madrid). This was a project of the Vesko Eschkenazy – Ludmil Angelov Duo presenting, in four successive evening cycles, the complete Mozart sonatas for violin and piano. Their joint Russian Music CD has been released by the Gega New Music House. Their second album “The fascinating George Gershwin” has been released by Pentatone Classics. In October 2007 the musicians performed a recital in a sold-out “Bulgaria Hall” in Sofia, broadcast live by Bulgarian national television.

The 2010/2011 season Vesko started with open air performance in the very centre of Sofia with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra gathering the largest audience for classical concert ever. In the same season he will be artist in residence in the Bulgaria Hall in Sofia with 4 recitals and performance of the Bruch violin concerto in g minor with the Sofia Philharmonic. The same work he will perform with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Kurt Masur in the 2011/2012 season. Since the summer of 2000 Vesko Eschkenazy has been playing a Guarneri del Gesu violin from 1738, the property of an anonymous sponsor in The Netherlands.

Vesko Eschkenazy has been awarded Musician of thé year 2010 in Bulgaria

Ludmil Angelov - Piano
In 1994 Ludmil Angelov was unanimosly awarded First Prize at World Piano Masters International Competition of Monte-Carlo. Marking a turning point in his career, this prize enabled the young pianist to perform at some of the most important concert halls of Europe, enjoying both audience and critical success.

Ludmil Angelov was born in Varna, Bulgaria, into a family of well-known musicians of Bulgarian and Greek descent. He started taking piano lessons at the age of six and soon made his debut in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities. Graduated with an Honours Degree from the Bulgarian State Academy of Music, where studied with eminent pianist and pedagogue Konstantin Stankovich, who studied himself with Andrey Stoyanov and collaborated with great Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov.

Ludmil Angelov has won prizes and distinctions at many international competitions, including "S. Obretenov" (Bulgaria, 1972), "Virtuosi di Musica per Pianoforte" (Czechoslovakia, 1973), "Senigallia" (Italy, 1976), "F.Chopin" (Poland, 1985), "Palm Beach" (USA,1990), "World Piano Masters" (Monte-Carlo, 1994), and Piano Masters Tour (France and Monte-Carlo, 1997).

Having embarked upon an international career, he has been to all European countries, USA, South America, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan, appearing in recitals, chamber music concerts and as a soloist with many major orchestras, under the baton of conductors such as L. Foster, J. DePreist, J.-B. Pommier, G. Pehlivanian, M. Andreae, F. Glushchenko, J. Pons, P. Halffter, E. García Asensio, J. Rodilla, G. Schneider, Y..Sado, D. Jaeger, P. Bride, M. Angelov, V. Ghiaurov, E. Tabakov, V. Kiradjiev, M..Natchev, P. Baleff, R. Milanov, N. Gum, G. Rinkevicius, J..Salwarowski, M. Nesterowicz, N. Diadura, etc.

During the 1987/1988 season Ludmil Angelov performed, in a cycle of 12 recitals, The Complete Piano Music of Chopin. For this unique event he has been awarded "Musician of the Year of Bulgaria". Consequently, he has appeared at some of the most important Chopin Festivals.

1990 saw his debut recital in New York, at Lincoln Center. He has also appeared at the Berlin Philharmonie Hall, Salle Pleyel and Salle Gaveau of Paris, Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Herkulessaal of München, Opera of Monte-Carlo, Opera of Marseille, Corum of Montpellier, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Auditorium of Barcelona, Palau de la Música de Valencia, Concert Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Concert Hall of the Milan Conservatory, Palace of Music of Athens, KBS Auditorium of Seoul, etc.

In 1995 has been invited by the Prince Rainier of Monaco to perform at the Palace of Monaco, as a soloists with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ludmil Angelov has recorded for RCA, Pentatone Classics, Gega New, Danacord, France Classique and Subdibula labels. His live performances have been broadcasted on European, American and Asian television and radio stations.

In 1999 performs the Complete Works of Chopin at the Conde Duque Auditorium in Madrid, as well as in Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Albacete and Gijón.

Among his most successful appearances are to be quoted his recitals at “La Roque d’Anthéron International Piano Festival”, Newport Festival, Warsaw International Chopin Festival and “Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum”.

In 2010 Ludmil Angelov performs again the Complete Works of Chopin at Teatro Maestranza in Seville and Bulgaria Hall in Sofia. As well, he served as a Jury Member at the Preliminary Round of the XVI International Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

His CD recording of Chopin’s Complete Rondos&Variations has been awarded with “Grand Prix du Disque Chopin” by the National Chopin Institute of Warsaw, along with the CD of Chopin’s Piano Concerti recorded by Krystian Zimerman.

For the last three years has performed several world premieres of works by Nikolai Kapustin, including his Piano Concerto nr.4. An SACD recording of some of those works was released in 2010.

Since 1992 Ludmil Angelov lives in Spain, where is the Founder and Artistic Director of Toledo International Music Festival. He gives master-classes in Spain and at New Bulgarian University in Sofia.

Booklet for The Fascinating George Gershwin