George Gershwin - Georges Bizet - Amilcare Ponchielli - Camille Saint-Saëns - Serge Prokofjev

Duo Gurfinkel Concertante

Duo Gurfinkel

Label: CAvi
Format: CD
Barcode: 4260085533961

Catalog number: AVI 8553396
Releasedate: 09-03-18

- Artist portrait of the DUO GURFINKEL with “show pieces” for two clarinets and orchestra
- The twin brothers Daniel and Alexander Gurfinkel are likewise prolonging their family tradition in the third generation
- In spite of their youth, they have already attracted international notice and are being mentioned in one breath along with a lineage of renowned clarinettists

Our first CD
Alexander & Daniel Gurfinkel

“The idea to record our debut CD emerged when we met Maestro Evan Christ in Ingolstadt, where we performed two concerts together. We were also honored to perform together with Evan in Israel. Thanks to his suggestion of making the recording with the Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra, we are now privileged to hold our first CD in our hands.

The repertoire we have chosen is varied: these works have been close to our hearts for a long time. This CD is the synthesis of our lifelong dedication and love for music. We are so thrilled to have finally reached one of the most significant stages in our lives!
We look forward to receiving much positive feedback and constructive criticism, for further plans and projects.
As young musicians, we know what a privilege it is to get the chance to record a CD, and we therefore extend our warmest thanks to Andreas and CAvi-Music for all his support and encouragement!”

DANIEL & ALEXANDER GURFINKEL Clarinets

The twin brothers Daniel and Alexander Gurfinkel, duo clarinetists, already rank among today's most outstanding artists. Born in 1992, they began their musical education in the year 2000. By age 12, they were invited by Zubin Mehta to appear as soloists in the annual concert for young musicians with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. They have performed abroad with the Zagreb Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, National Ukraine Symphony Orchestra, and “Soloists of Moscow”, and have gone on tour in France with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire.

The Gurfinkel duo was invited to perform in Switzerland at the Moscow Meets Friends festival with the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra under Vladimir Spivakov, in Los Angeles under the auspices of Zubin Mehta, with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists at the Tchaikovsky Hall, in Ekaterinburg and with the Capella Istopolitana at the Rheingau Festival. Additionally, the duo has given concerts across the US (Detroit, New York, and Chicago) as well as in Beijing, Hong Kong, Slovenia, Italy, Russia, Germany, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Croatia, Austria, and South Africa. Duo Gurfinkel have also recently given several world premieres. Among them are Rashid Kalimulin’s concerto for two clarinets and orchestra (with the Leipzig Symphonic Orchestra at Gewandhaus Leipzig in 2013), the concerto by Gil Shohat (with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra) and Doron Toister’s Klezmer Concerto (with the Raanana Symphony Orchestra Israel).

In 2013, the duo won 3rd Prize at the 18th International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach, France, and in 2016 the 2nd prize at the 18th International Chamber Music Competition Concorso Fiorindo in Nichelino, Italy. Daniel and Alexander Gurfinkel preserve a rich family tradition of three generations. Their grandfather Arkady Gurfinkel was a well-known clarinet player, teacher, and arranger, while their father, Michael Gurfinkel, the principal of the Israel Symphony Orchestra and Israeli Opera, is one of the leading clarinet players in Israel and abroad.

EVAN ALEXIS CHRIST Conductor

Evan Alexis Christ is one of the leading conductors of his generation. He has gained fame thanks to his sophisticated choice of repertoire and concert programming, consistently including early music and new music. Christ has already conducted over 80 world premieres, all standard repertoire works for orchestra, and over 45 stage productions.

Christ has a particular penchant for film music. His performances are preserved on a great number of CD releases, and several of them have been recorded for public broadcast. Christ has conducted over 30 internationally renowned concert and opera orchestras. He made his Salzburg Festival début in the summer of 2011 with the performance of Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera Macbeth together with the Vienna-based Klangforum Wien contemporary chamber music orchestra. Born in Los Angeles, Christ first studied mathematics and composition at Harvard University. He then went on to study conducting with Gert Bahner at the University of Music and Theater in Leipzig, and took private lessons with Christoph Eschenbach.

He occupied the post of First Kapellmeister and Deputy General Music Director at the Mainfranken Theater in Würzburg between 2003 and 2005. From 2005 to 2008, he was engaged as First Kapellmeister at the Wuppertaler Bühnen theaters, and served as Acting General Music Director at the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg in 2005/2006.

Since August 2008, Evan Alexis Christ has been General Music Director at the Cottbus State Theater.

Introduction et Rondo Capriccios, arranged ?for two Clarinets and Symphony Orchestra by Roger Feigelson