Birelli Lagrene – Gypsy Project

Birelli Lagrene (1966 –

Birelli Lagrene is a French guitarist and bassist.  He first became famous in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt influenced style of guitar playing.  Birelli is also known for playing fusion jazz and post bebop style jazz on the guitar.

Florin Niculescu (1967 –

Florin Niculescu is a Romanian gypsy violinist.  He is one of the top jazz violinists and is comfortable playing gypsy jazz as well as modern jazz.  Some people have called him the successor to the great French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli.

In 2001 Niculescu joined Birelli Lagrene and his “Gypsy Project” which takes its inspiration from Django Reinhardt and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France.

Here is a recording of several jazz standards played by Birelli Lagrene and his “Gypsy Project” in 2001.  The musicians are Birelli Lagrene (solo guitar), Florin Niculescu (violin), Rhythm guitars – Hono Winterstein and Holzmano Lagrène, Diego Imbert (double bass), and Richard Galliano (accordion).  I hope you enjoy it.

 

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Gustav Mahler – Adagietto from 5th Symphony – Leonard Bernstein

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Gustav Mahler was a Bohemian-Austrian conductor, pianist, and composer.  He held conducting posts at the Vienna Opera, Royal Opera in Budapest, the Stadttheater in Hamburg, Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the New York Philharmonic.

Mahler is known today as one of the last great symphonists.  He composed 10 symphonies, several songs. and a piano quartet and opera (the opera was lost).

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, and pianist.  He held conducting posts with the Isreal Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and quickly gained an international reputation conducting in Vienna and La Scala. Bernstein was a noted conductor of Mahler’s symphonies.

As a composer, Bernstein is known today for his Candide Overture and Westside Story.

Here is a recording of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in a performance of the 2nd movement of Mahler’s Symphony no.5.  Enjoy.

 

Frederic Chopin – Piano Concerto no.1 (2nd movement) -Artur Rubinstein

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Frederic Chopin was a Polish composer and pianist.  He is unique as a composer because most of his compositions are for solo piano.  Besides his works for solo piano Chopin also composed 2 piano concertos, 4 works for piano and orchestra, a piano trio, duos, 20 songs for voice and piano, 1 piano duet, and some arrangements and transcriptions.

Chopin composed his two piano concertos when he was 19 years old.  They were composed shortly before he moved to Paris.  He would spend most of his life composing and performing in Paris and die there in 1849.

Artur Rubinstein (1887-1982) is a famous 2oth century Polish-Jewish pianist.  He is known for his fine interpretations of Chopin’s piano music .  His playing has an impeccable sense of style, warm lyricism, and passionate eloquence.  Here is a recording of Artur Rubinstein playing the 2nd movement of Chopin’s piano concerto no.1.  I hope that you enjoy it.