This weeekend, the Baltimore Symphony pays tribute to the celebrated American composer George Gershwin.

Marin Alsop will lead the programs with guest pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.  On Thursday and Friday, the program consists of Gershwin’s first major classical work, Rhapsody in Blue, along with his Concerto in F and Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin.  “The most famous jazz group of the 1920s, the Paul Whiteman Band originally commissioned Rhapsody in Blue,“according to Janet Bedell.  The BSO will be performing with the original jazz-orchestration written for the Paul Whiteman Band.  The Saturday program is all Gershwin, sans Ravel.

Rhapsody is distinctive as it is one of the first pieces (premiered in 1924) to truly bring a distinctly American sound to the classical concert hall, bearing the stamp of New York rhythms, American jazz and pop, and Broadway musicals.  It is also a great showcase for Gershwin’s romantic, highly expressive and virtuosic style as a pianist.

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Geroge Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue

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