Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris(Bernstein)
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This is the definitive Rhapsody
It may be subjective for me to say this is the definitive Rhapsody in Blue. After all, this is the LP I grew up listening to it on. This is the LP I made a cassette from and used to listen to in the car or on my Walkman in college. But I've heard a LOT of Rhapsodies since then, and none of them quite measures up. The phrasing, the cadence, the sustain and pauses on the piano notes -- they are all spot on here. This is simply the one best recording I've found. Even other Bernstein performances don't capture the piece quite as well as it is found here. I'm really, really glad this is finally on CD now.
Bernstein plays the Rhapsody with delicacy and reverence
As a 13-year old I sat spellbound watching Rhapsody in Blue, the 1945 semi-factual film biography of George Gershwin, starring Robert Alda, late one night on television. A few weeks later I took the week's proceeds from my newspaper delivery route to Rose Records in downtown Chicago, in search of a recording of Rhapsody in Blue. Out of several records with that selection, I chose the Leonard Berstein version, likely on the basis of its impressive cover art.
Over 48 years later, and having listened to a half-dozen other recordings of Rhapsody in Blue, my favorite remains the Bernstein edition. This version is a bit more symphonic (as opposed to bluesy) than the others. Bernstein appears to play some of the solo portions with a bit more delicacy than the other versions I have heard. He seems to approach the piece with respect that the is more like reverence.
The sound quality for this 1959 recording is surprisingly good. The CD includes an American in Paris, which was the flip side of the record, with the addition of the Concerto in F. The album's original liner notes are included, as well as an interesting note by Andre Kostelanetz.
The Long-Awaited Reissue of the definitive Rhapsody plus....
When I first bought George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" conducted and played by Leonard Bernstein on cassette in 1989, I was simply blown away by its excellence and power musically. This was the original Great Performances release with the 'newspaper' style artwork which had "An American in Paris" on its B-side and I had been wanting it on CD ever since.
I'm very happy to have waited because the recent Great Performances reissue with the original front cover artwork and liner notes presents both "Rhapsody In Blue" and "An American In Paris" in their greatest quality yet both soundwise and musicwise. Bernstein's piano work as well as his conducting in the "Rhapsody" prove without a shadow of a doubt why this rendition should be considered the definitive one. "An American In Paris" is represented in such a way that it becomes almost a Bernstein piece as much as it is Gershwin's.
As a special bonus, Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F is included. Unlike the previous two pieces, Leonard Bernstein is not the conductor nor the pianist here. The orchestra is conducted by Andre Kostelanetz while the piano part is played by the great Andre Previn. This performance of the Gershwin Concerto is also definitive with stellar delivery from both Previn and Kostelanetz. The fusion of tradition classical music with modern jazz rhythms is stunning and compelling. While other composers such as Copland, Ravel, Stravinsky and Shostakovich also experimented in combining Classical style with Jazz, Gershwin was entirely in a league of his own with this Concerto as the two styles compliment each other effortlessly without one overshadowing the other.
With this said, this CD of these three Gershwin classics is definitely a must. The music as well as the performances themselves are flawless and are the best that one can possibly get.
If you're looking for indespensible and definitive versions of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue", "An American in Paris" and "Concerto in F", look no further than this CD. It's truly amazing.
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