Little introduction is required to Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story (1957). It is one of the most successful musicals of the 20th century. In fact, it is often regarded as blurring the lines between the musical and grand opera. Matching great music with an intense plot owing much to Romeo and Juliet, this is an undoubted high point in American music. There is a coming together of standard European operatic tropes such as vocal ensembles, the use of leitmotifs, and complex tonal planning. This is cleverly fused with American jazz and a Latin beat. The Symphonic Dances look towards standard classical procedures, including relatively few themes which are developed to a high degree, and which do not require an understanding of the plot to appreciate the music. It is important to note the progress of these Dances does not follow the libretto of the opera. I am not sure that the vocalisation of “Mambo” was necessary here. That said, the clarity of this arrangement is ideal, and allows the listener to hear a considerable amount of the musical detail. This two-piano version of the Symphonic Dances was created by the American pianist and composer, John Musto in 1998.
George Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody (1931) is relatively rarely heard in the 21st century. For example, the current Arkiv Catalogue features 26 recordings of this work. This compares to 210 for the Rhapsody in Blue, and 74 for the Piano Concerto in F.
The Second Rhapsody had its genesis in the film score for Delicious, starring Janey Gaynor and Charles Farrell. The somewhat fanciful plot centres around a Scottish girl who arrives in the USA. She has legal issues, goes on the run and finally teams up with some travelling musicians. George Gershwin wrote several songs and two musical sequences for the film. One of the latter was originally titled Manhattan Rhapsody. This was designed to accompany the girl on her wanderings in the unfamiliar and possibly scary city of New York.
George Gershwin regarded his Second Rhapsody as “the finest thing he had written.” Listening to this work uncovers a subtler, more nuanced style of writing. That said, the American music historian David Ewen felt that the main reason that this “piece has not gained the popularity of the Rhapsody in Blue, was that while it represents a decided advance in technique, it is mainly contrived, where the first rhapsody [in Blue] was inspired”. There are several versions of the original orchestral incarnation of this Rhapsody. The present performance for four hands on one piano was devised by one of the present soloists, Julian Jacobson. It is absorbing and enjoyable and amply reveals “its subtleties and creative development” to a great extent.
George Gershwin was inspired to compose his orchestral tone poem, An American in Paris (1928) after a visit to the French capital, in the mid-1920s. However, the piece works well in its transcription for four hand/one piano by Julian Jacobson. Each of the tone poem’s three contrasting sections suggests aspects of Paris’s streetscape, past and present. From the taxi horns, and the slightly frenetic exploration of the city, to a relaxed stroll in one of the great parks, and finally, to the consummation of the American visitor’s diverse moods in the last section, this is an attractive and satisfying performance. The 1951 film An American in Paris has long been one of my favourite “flicks”. Starring the great Gene Kelly, the first appearance of Leslie Caron and the irrepressible polymath Oscar Levant, this sparkling movie presents a remarkable score featuring Gershwin’s music. The climax of the film is the 17-minute ballet sequence using the eponymous tone poem.
The final work on this CD is Henry Levine’s 1943 transcription of George Gershwin’s best known concert piece, Rhapsody in Blue. This early crossover composition between jazz and the classical/romantic repertoire was premiered during February 1924. Various arrangements have been made from the original with jazz band, the Ferde Grofé orchestration and several versions for solo or piano duet. Little needs to be said about this well-known masterpiece, save that in Levine’s arrangement, the continuous outpouring of melody, piano figurations and jazz inspired clichés, is made crystal clear. All the excitement, pizzazz and romance of the original score is retained, and often enhanced in this exemplary recital.
Not a lot else need to be said. Great playing by Julian Jacobson and Mariko Brown, excellent liner notes, and a splendid recording.
Track Listing:Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918-90)
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (arr. John MUSTO (b.1954) (1998)
George GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
Second Rhapsody (arr. Julian JACOBSON (b.1947) (2014)
An American in Paris (arr. Julian JACOBSON, (2016)
Rhapsody in Blue (arr. Henry LEVINE (1892-1951) (1943)
Julian Jacobson and Mariko Brown (pianos)
rec. The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Surrey, 26-28 August 2020
SOMMCD 0635
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