Gershwin's famous Rhapsody in Blue was written in 1924 in a mere five weeks, on a short-notice commission for Paul Whiteman and his band. As Gershwin told his biographer in 1931:
"It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance."
The work became an instant success and over the last century it has continued to serve as a symbol of American culture. Igor Lovchinsky
Classical Music | Piano Music
George Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue Play
Recorded on 10/05/2011, uploaded on 03/27/2012
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Gershwin's famous Rhapsody in Blue was written in 1924 in a mere five weeks, on a short-notice commission for Paul Whiteman and his band. As Gershwin told his biographer in 1931:
"It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance."
The work became an instant success and over the last century it has continued to serve as a symbol of American culture. Igor Lovchinsky
More music by George Gershwin
Prelude 1, Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
Three Preludes
Extract from Porgy and Bess
Embraceable You
Prelude 2, Andante con moto e poco rubato
Piano Concerto in F Major
Rhapsody in Blue
"It Ain't Necessarily So," from Porgy and Bess
Selections from Porgy and Bess
Rhapsody in Blue
Performances by same musician(s)
Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
Arabesque in C Major, Op. 18
Liebesleid (arr. Rachmaninov)
Etude-Tableaux, Op, 39, No. 5 in e-flat minor
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