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Portions of this post come from a previous post published on February 13, 2022 on Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

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“True music must repeat the thoughts and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans and my time is today.”

-George Gershwin

Welcome back to Building a Collection where we are making our way through the top 250 classical works of all-time.  We have arrived at #14 on the list, and the first American composer to appear.  I am pleased to present Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, an iconic piece of music which has fascinated and thrilled listeners since its introduction in 1924. 

George Gershwin

George Gershwin (b. 1898 Brooklyn, NY – d. 1937 Hollywood, CA) is considered one of the greatest American composers in history.  The son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, he was born Jacob Gershwine (pronounced ‘Gersh-vin’).  He soon started to be called George.  Gershwin dropped out of school at the age of 15 to work on Tin Pan Alley in New York, and began to immerse himself in listening to popular music.  By the time he died far too young in 1937, Gershwin had become the preeminent American composer of his time.  

Gershwin excelled especially in crossing the gap between popular and classical music. He was a master at assimilating American folk music, jazz and African-American influences, as well as classical ideas and theory of the early twentieth-century from composers such as Ravel, Debussy, and Berg.  Gershwin’s blending of musical ideas and genres has led many to question his status as a “classical” composer, since many of his works don’t fit traditional classical form and structure.  In the end, it hardly matters.  Gershwin was so gifted at his craft that he was and continues to be widely enjoyed and adored by music lovers worldwide.

Gershwin’s first breakthrough was with the song Swanee recorded by the legendary Al Jolson.  In the realm of popular theater, which was beginning to experience a boom at the time, George and his brother Ira became one of the great creative duos of all-time.  George would compose the music to Ira’s lyrics.  They collaborated in the 1920s on musical shows such as Lady, Be Good!, Oh, Kay!, Strike Up the Band, Girl Crazy, Of Thee I Sing, and An American in Paris and cemented their place in American musical history.  Later in 1935 they would work together on the most famous American opera ever composed, Porgy and Bess.

In addition to his famous popular songs (think of Fascinating Rythym, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, I Got Rhythm, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, The Man I Love, and S’Wonderful among others), and his compositions for musical stage and film, Gershwin also composed orchestral works.  The most well known is Rhapsody in Blue composed for piano and orchestra in 1924.

Gershwin spent time in Europe to become trained in composition, and was taught by some of the well-known composers of the time.  In Paris he was not accepted as a pupil because his music was well-known already, and Boulanger and Ravel believed he already possessed all he needed plus he had developed his own original style they did not want to change or ruin.  Gershwin’s 1928 visit to Ravel produced the famous quote from Ravel, “Why be a second-rate Ravel, when you are a first-rate Gershwin?”  Nevertheless his time in Europe influenced him significantly, and Gershwin became fascinated by the works of Berg, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Shoenberg among others.  Some of Gershwin’s works contain similar elements that can be heard in Ravel and Debussy, and interestingly Ravel’s piano concertos contain more than a hint of Gershwin’s jazz-influenced style.      

Rhapsody in Blue

Rhapsody in Blue came about when bandleader Paul Whiteman asked Gershwin if he would write a jazz concerto for orchestra.  Gershwin apparently agreed, but did not begin work on it right away.  Unbeknown to Gershwin, Whiteman put an announcement in the New York Evening Herald on January 4, 1924 that this new jazz concerto was to be premiered at a program at New York’s Aeolian Hall on February 12, only a little more than a month away!  It took Gershwin less than a month to actually compose Rhapsody, and orchestral arranger Ferde Grofe (himself a famous composer) had the orchestra parts ready in time for rehearsal.  George also used some help from his brother Ira during composition, and the famous clarinet glissando at the beginning of the work actually came from the band’s clarinetist Ross Gorman improvising during a rehearsal break.  Gershwin heard it, loved it, and decided to keep it.  

The premiere of Rhapsody in Blue was indeed played on February 12, 1924 at Aeolian Hall in Manhattan as part of a larger concert titled An Experiment in Modern Music by Paul Whiteman and his Palais Royal Orchestra.  The concert was attended by such luminaries as Igor Stravinsky, Fritz Kreisler, Leopold Stokowski, and John Philip Sousa.  Gershwin’s Rhapsody was given a tremendous ovation at the conclusion, and the piece soon became a huge success both popularly and commercially.  It quickly became Gershwin’s most famous piece for the concert hall, and even today it is one of the few “crossover” works to become thoroughly fixed in classical repertory worldwide.  Of course the second slower theme is extremely recognizable thanks to its use in United Airlines commercials for many years.  The score leaves room for improvisation (as you might hear in jazz), and some more adventurous performers have indulged in their own sensibility.

It is important to know there are a few different versions of Rhapsody in Blue, including the original score from 1924, then there is a concert band orchestra version from 1926, and finally the arrangement for piano and orchestra from 1942.  Fellow American composer Ferde Grofe is credited with orchestrating the piece, and it is his arrangements most often heard today both in performance and on record.  The nature of the piece leaves room for some flexibility and improvisation from both pianist and orchestra, so while the overall timing for the full orchestra version of the work is usually between 16 and 18 minutes, you will hear quite a bit of variety in how the work is played.  The concert band version is typically a few minutes shorter.    

Recommended Recordings

There are many other excellent recordings of Rhapsody in Blue.  Gershwin himself made two partial recordings with an orchestra on Victor, and some versions on piano roll.  They are worth hearing.  The first complete recording was made by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops with piano played by Jesus Maria Sanroma on RCA Victor.

Top Choice  

The 1959 recording by Leonard Bernstein and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra on Sony remains a first choice for Rhapsody in Blue.  Bernstein, himself an accomplished pianist and well-versed in the jazz idiom, made two commercial recordings of Rhapsody in Blue, the other one being a slower but also compelling recording from the 1980s with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  But it is this first recording with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra that remains THE classic account.  

You are likely aware that Bernstein composed for the theater, and had such hits as West Side Story and On the Town.  Bernstein’s own music fused elements of jazz, Jewish music, and theater music.  He was also a classically trained pianist, made famous recordings of Ravel’s piano concertos, and championed pioneering composers of the era such as Copland, Stravinsky, and Milhaud.  According to music critic Donal Henahan, Bernstein was “one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history”.  Over his career, Bernstein won seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and sixteen Grammy Awards.  

Bernstein would have been very familiar with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue from a young age.  Bernstein was not too improvisatory at the keyboard, but he found expressive freedom while at the same time maintaining fidelity to Gershwin’s score.  Later in his career, Bernstein would become more ponderous and self-conscious and his playing lost some of its flexibility.  However, Bernstein is consistently eloquent here, reflective where needed and fiery where appropriate.  He performs the work as a whole, mindful of the structure and themes of the different sections.  You get the feeling he “knows” this work intimately, and we are in good hands.  

On the recording, Bernstein conducts from the piano, something he did quite often during his career.  The sound quality is what you might expect from 1959, there is some background noise but it is not at all intrusive.  The piano is not placed too far forward, and so you get the sense of the piano blended with the orchestra.  Although in 1959 Bernstein had already taken the helm of the New York Philharmonic, for this recording he is with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (an orchestra formed by Columbia Records for the sole purpose of recording and often included freelance members from the New York Philharmonic), and the recording was made in the 30th Street Studios in New York.  The orchestra is a bit scrappy in parts, but they are also truly at ease with the jazz-inflected language of Gershwin and they play marvelously.  It is a truly enjoyable performance and one that has stood the test of time.

Other Outstanding Recordings

There is no shortage of great recordings of Rhapsody in Blue, both old and new.  It really comes down to whether your tastes hew more to the classical side, romantic side, the jazzy side, or some of all those elements.  

The brilliant young British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor recorded Rhapsody in Blue in 2012 for Decca at the age of 21, and it is nothing short of scintillating.  James Judd leads the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in the jazzy concert band version.  Grosvenor has the full measure of the tricky syncopated notes, and brings freshness and originality.  He shows a maturity and spontaneity beyond his years, and it is like hearing the piece anew.  I should add the complete album the Gershwin appears on is terrific, including some stunning playing on works by Saint-Saens and Ravel.  A winning album in every way.

On an even more recent release, American-Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein is joined on a live recording by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra led by the American conductor David Robertson on the Myrios label.  There is an infectious energy and swagger throughout, and the feeling of a true event.  Even with Gerstein pulling and stretching textures and rhythms, he also brings a confidence that the overall context will hold together marvelously, and so it does.  A special mention goes to David Robertson and the orchestra for fully diving into Gershwin’s idiom in a way that feels authentic.  The full orchestra version is used.  The sound is first-rate, and you can see why the audience goes wild at the conclusion.

Bernstein protege Michael Tilson Thomas recorded Rhapsody in Blue with the Miami-based New World Orchestra (a music academy orchestra co-founded by Tilson Thomas) on a 2004 release on RCA (now Sony).  Using the jazz concert band version, with Tilson Thomas on piano, this is among the finest readings Rhapsody in Blue has ever received.  Although some critics have never warmed to Tilson Thomas over the course of his conducting career, on this recording he shows just how deep his understanding is of Gershwin and the sound that came out of the 1920s.  Tilson Thomas is also no amateur on the keyboard, here showing considerable virtuosity and taste.  The sound is full and clear.

Back in 1976, Tilson Thomas took the original recording of George Gershwin himself playing the piano part on piano roll, and inserted it into the studio recording of the work with the Columbia Jazz Band, on Columbia Records.  The Gershwin piano rolls remain an important historical document, for one it gives us an idea of how Gershwin may have envisioned the work should be played.  It is certainly quicker than we have become accustomed to more recently.  Other artists, such as Wayne Marshall, have adopted quicker tempos as well.  It certainly has an uptempo, jazzy feel to it.  Since then, many other orchestras have followed Tilson Thomas’ lead and have performed the piece with the “ghost” of Gershwin on piano.  

American conductor Leonard Slatkin and a youngish Jeffrey Siegel recorded Rhapsody in Blue with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in Powell Hall in St. Louis in 1974 for Vox Records.  It seems to also be available on Brilliant Records.  Vox released a remastered version in 2023 available on streaming services, with improved sound.  In any case, I often return to this somewhat overlooked recording because for me it just feels right.  Tempos are well-judged, the orchestra sounds as though they are having fun, Siegel’s playing is exuberant and has the feel of authenticity, and using the full orchestra version Slatkin loosens the reins to allow for some delightfully inflected moments.  There is just a touch of dryness to the sound, but it is not a problem.

Other acclaimed recordings

Although not making my short list above, the following recordings have also been critically acclaimed:

London Symphony Orchestra / Andre Previn, piano and conductor (EMI/Warner, 1971)

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra / Freddy Kempf, piano / Andrew Litton, conductor (BIS, 2011)

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra / Jon Nakamatsu, piano / Jeff Tyzik, conductor (Harmonia Mundi, 2007)

Boston Pops Orchestra / Earl Wild, piano / Arthur Fiedler, conductor (RCA, 1959)

Aalborg Symphony / Wayne Marshall, piano and conductor (Virgin, 1995)           

Once again, thank you for reading.  Next time we turn to #15 on our list, Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony no. 9 “From the New World”. 

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Notes:

Brennan, Gerald. Schrott, Allen. Woodstra, Chris.  All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide.  All Media Guide. Pp. 481-482.  Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.

Hyland, William G. (2003). George Gershwin : A New Biography. Praeger. ISBN 0-275-98111-8.

Jablonski, Edward; Stewart, Lawrence D. (1973). The Gershwin Years: George and Ira (2nd ed.). Garden City, New Jersey: Doubleday. ISBN 0-306-80739-4.

Jablonski, Edward (1987). Gershwin. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-19431-5.

Kozinn, Allan. The New York Times Essential Library Classical Music, A Critic’s Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings. Pp. 235-237. Times Books. Henry Holt and Company. New York. 2004.

Kimball, Robert & Alfred Simon. The Gershwins (1973), Athenium, New York, ISBN 0-689-10569-X

Mawer, Deborah; Cross, Jonathan, eds. (2000). The Cambridge Companion to Ravel. Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64856-4.

Peyser, Joan (2007). The Memory of All That:The Life of George Gershwin. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4234-1025-6.

Pollack, Howard (2006). George Gershwin. His Life and Work. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24864-9.

Rimler, Walter. A Gershwin Companion (1991), Popular Culture ISBN 1-56075-019-7

Rimler, Walter George Gershwin : An Intimate Portrait (2009), University of Illinois Press, ISBN 0-252-03444-9

Sloop, Gregory. "What Caused George Gershwin's Untimely Death?" Journal of Medical Biography 9 (February 2001): 28–30

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006097/quotes/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gershwin

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