Customer Reviews

The Best of George Gershwin

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This 2007 edition from ASV Living Era is a re-re-release of the original 1993 European 2-CD set from Castle Communications on the Cirrus Classics label (ID# CRS-CD-207). That Cirrus release became part of our effort to educate ourselves about the wider world of non-American performers of Gershwin, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable experience. See the photos we added of the Cirrus 2-disc album cover and back liner track lists - it is long out of production, so there are no other examples of the album art on Amazon or elsewhere.
This particular group of recordings from the Bulgarian artists has been released several times between 1993-2007, and it can be expected that the quality of the performances will keep it out in the music market for a long time to come. About the performances:
You might not think that non-American performers and orchestras would deliver palatable renditions of Gershwin, but - VOILA! Here are reputable performances of these most American of compositions, from a Bulgarian orchestras and singers. There are three orchestras at work here (Gershwin composition dates in parentheses):
- The Bulgarian State Philharmonic Orchestra doing an elegant Rhapsody in Blue (1923), Cuban Overture (1932) and the Piano Concerto in F (1925).
- The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra doing an admirable job with the whimsical "An American Paris" (1928).
- The Bulgarian State Radio Orchestra backing up the soloists and chorus in Porgy and Bess (1935) with fine interpretations of these great Gershwin songs. There are 16 tracks from the opera here. The singers of the Bulgarian Radio Chorus do fine honors to these bluesy timepieces.
Lastly, Solo pianist Nikolai Evrov admirably performs the Three Preludes for Piano (1926). These little works are charming, very short, and if you wish to hear more from this pianist I recommend the AMV Classics recording "Liszt: Three Concertos for Piano and Orchestra" (it has been available on Amazon from time to time).