George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

[elperromagico]

Comment on it.

[XanaDUer]

1. I love it.

Good enough?

[elperromagico]

3. That works.

[XanaDUer]

12. Kewl.

;)

[blackcat77]

2. Me too

My parents thought of it as "classical" music, but even though it isn't, it's still great.

[fortyfeetunder]

4. I like it, but not my fave Gershwin piece

I love performing Gershwin works. I really like Rhapsody in Blue, but my favorite (and the first one I ever played in an orchestra) was An American in Paris.

[elperromagico]

5. I honestly prefer his Concerto in F.

But "Rhapsody" is the piece everyone's most familiar with.

[fortyfeetunder]

7. The Concerto in F is fun too

a pain to practice, but definitely a pleasure to play.

[billyskank]

16. I also like An American In Paris more

although I still love Rhapsody In Blue too.

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. It's quite nice! Not great, it often misses in intent, but it's fun and

enjoyable to listen to.

[Ron Green]

8. The most durable of Gershwin's music, and in that sense the most

"classical," are his great show tunes that have become jazz standards. They sound as fresh today when played by a small jazz group as they ever did. Ironically, "Rhapsody in Blue," as great as it is, sounds more of the period, since it's orchestrated and notated to be played one way.

[elperromagico]

9. But "Rhapsody" has been reinterpreted as well,

in many different styles. As Leonard Bernstein said, you can take "Rhapsody" apart, reassemble it, and remove sections without affecting the whole.

[Ron Green]

13. Right, but my point is that "Rhapsody" still evokes the 1920s and 30s,

while "A Foggy Day" or "But Not for Me" sounds like RIGHT NOW, when it's being swung hard by a jazz combo. The irony, for me, is that the "classical" works don't have the permanence of what were probably, at the time, thought to be more "throw-away."

[elperromagico]

14. I see your point, certainly.

[fortyfeetunder]

10. I'm waiting for a hip hop version

Figure the young 'uns will have one if there isn't one already.

[NightTrain]

11. It'll be called "Rap CD In Blue."

;)

[saltpoint]

15. It has the flash and color and allows musicians to --

-- soar a bit.

But after the concert, I want to go home and listen in candlelight to the 3 Preludes for solo piano.

[Seabiscuit]

17. Difficult to play. Fun to listen to...

as is "American in Paris", "Concerto in F" and even "Golliwog's Cakewalk".

[Shakespeare]

26. Yeah, but playing that opening glissando on clarinet is FUN!

And what a beautiful marriage of jazz and classical...

[Red State Rebel]

18. Fell in love with it in high school Orchestra

Still love it!!!

[Tyrone Slothrop]

19. It's the perfect opening to Woody Allen's Manhattan

That's one of my favorite movies, and i honestly can't imagine any other song being played at the beginning over the black and white montage of Manhattan.

The Brazillian jazz combo Deodato does a great cover of that song, btw.

[pagerbear]

20. It's got a beat and you can dance to it.

I give it an 87.

[Dookus]

21. PAGERBEAR!!!!!

You're back!!!!!!!

:bounce:

[pagerbear]

22. Shhhhhhhh! Don't tell!

[Dookus]

23. HEY EVERYBODY!!

PAGERBEAR'S BACK!!!!

[SmileyBoy]

24. Best played improvisational on a piano with no other instruments.

I once heard a really good version of it like that.

[WMliberal]

25. it's okay. I like An American in Paris better.

Rhapsody is definitely his best piano work.

[KurtNYC]

27. Dinner in Prague, live pianist on a concert grand

Playing anything people ask for. My father loves Gershwin so I asked for Rhapsody in Blue. The czech pianist says, "sure but not the whole thing" And my gawd he tore it up. The dynamics, the tempo - fantastic. I will never hear it the same way again.

It was here:


Prague rocks!