Henry Doktorski is an accomplished pianist, organist, conductor, composer, educator and concert accordionist since 1990 when he won the American Accordion Musicological Society Virtuoso Solo Competition. He has performed with names such as Rostropovich, Itzhak Perlman, Lorin Maazel and Dimitri Kitaenko. As an author he has had articles and letters printed in diverse publications and just recently completed a book titled "The Classical Squeezebox, a Short History of the Accordion In Classical Music". Although there are different arrangements of Gershwin's music for the solo accordion, they are not often included in the accordionists concert repertoire. Even more rare Gershwin's music is performed on the accordion accompanied by chamber instruments. For this reason, I found this recording very refreshing to listen to, as it gives us something new and not often heard. Besides the good arrangements, the accordion blends very nicely with the accompanying chamber instruments. This in turn creates a sophisticated sound picture and a very pleasant, relaxing atmosphere to enjoy this music. This would be a great buy if you are after 'easy listening' music and is also a great contribution toward the ever expanding accordion repertoire. |
