"Songs of Exiles": my solo piano arrangements of Jewish and Gypsy music

For centuries Jews and Gypsies were exiles, wandering from country to country in search of a safe place to live. Their music – wistful, invigorating, and diverse – still reflects both the difficulties they surmounted, and the various musical styles they picked up in their ramblings. This is why I called this CD “Songs of Exiles”, even if a couple of Jewish songs came from a contemporary Israeli composer. Other Jewish pieces are traditional Yiddish songs and Klezmer dances, while the Gypsy part of this CD draws from the Hungarian violin, Spanish guitar, and Russian vocal traditions.

 “Songs of Exiles” is mostly a collection of my own piano arrangements. The exceptions are “Czardas” by Vittorio Monti and “Dark Eyes Waltz” by Feodor Herman, where I followed the original compositions, adding only a bit of flourish here and there; and “Asturias” (Flamenco-style Spanish piece by Isaac Albeniz, imitating the Gypsy guitar), where the only change was textural, to make it sound even more guitar-like. All other songs were treated freely; so free, in fact, that they might rather be called fantasies.

The music on CD “Songs of Exiles” comes from two concerts with the same name – my most recent addition to the series “Tales from the Keyboard”. Almost every piece has a story. To read some of them, go to my other website www.talesfromthekeyboard.com (don't get surprised: that particular page looks exactly like this one; but you may browse it to find 15 short stories...).

CD "Freylakhs for Two"

This CD features Klezmer music. It was recorded with my friend flutist Markus Bishko. Without trying to say the same things with the different words, I'll simply quote from CD’s back cover:

"A passionate spiritual dialogue of two musical rabbis" - that's how audience have described the Alaska Klezmer Duo.

The Jewish flute legacy, though biblical, has few proficient practitioners today. The ancient musical tongue speaks fluently through composer and pedagogue Markus Bishko's kle zemer - his vessel of song - the colorful range of the modern flute. Alexander Zlatkovski was trained in the rigorous Russian Classical Tradition. His years in Israel nurtured a passion for Jewish music. Zlatkovski's piano pulsates with rhythm & melody, exploring subtle expressive territory previously reserved in Klezmer for the clarinet, violin, trumpet, and flute.

No longer on the fringes of the old Klezmer band! Together Messrs. Bishko and Zlatkovski center-stage their instruments through fresh Jewish music at once intensely personal and profoundly traditional.

And here is a quote from customer review at www.cdbaby.com:

"Beautiful pieces, beautifully played.  A very harmonious interweaving of the piano and the flute in one majestic duo! I have shown this CD for several of my friends, and they too found this to be a truly moving and memorable performance. If you're searching for Klezmer music, I highly recommend this CD!"

**  **  **

To purchase CDs

To purchase a CD, please send a check for $15 per CD, plus $2 for S&H, to the address:

Alexander Zlatkovski

31714 NE 157th St

Duvall, WA 98019

(Please, don't forget to write YOUR name and address! An email or telephone number - just in case - may also be helpful)