![]() Gershwin wasn't allowed to fail on his own. Because pop songs can be arranged, publishers decided to apply this approach to the concert works, almost always issuing less interesting music. Second, throughout Gershwin's long reception, we very seldom heard what the composer actually wrote. He performs spectacular feats of virtuosity (especially in the second chorus of "I Got Rhythm"), but it's a little like hearing the Wagnerian Helen Traubel warble "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues." William Bolcom (Nonesuch 79151), with far less technique than Votapek, nevertheless has the idiom. He plays too stiffly, from the opening Promenade (the "Walking the Dog" sequence from the Astaire film Damsel in Distress) through most of the Songbook. He doesn't really have the rhythmic freedom of the jazz master in his fingers. But the music also possesses a strong jazz-influenced pop element that tempts some players to attempt a "swinging" interpretation. I've heard pianists give really good performances playing Gershwin as they'd play Chopin – a legitimate point of view and probably the best option for a classically-trained pianist. Gershwin himself said he couldn't notate exactly what he meant, even though his markings and directions often go on a good long time. First, Gershwin's music inhabits a fluid space between classical and pop. My discontent comes down to two points, one more serious than the other. I eagerly waited for this disc and then succumbed to general disappointment. Ralph Votapek, a student of Rosa Lhevinne among others, has long experience with Gershwin's piano works. The book, incidentally, stands among the great American publishing ventures of the Twenties in terms of conception and design. From these improvisations came George Gershwin's Songbook, 18 songs consisting of a standard piano-vocal arrangement and a virtuoso "break" composed by Gershwin himself. This probably grew out of his habit of improvising, both for composition and as a guest who entertained at swank parties. He didn't seem to have a conception of an ideal interpretation of his music but tended to play it the way he felt at the time. ![]() By most accounts, Gershwin was a master pianist, although his recordings are uneven. ![]() Several recordings have appeared, including recordings of Gershwin himself on either piano rolls or the radio. The list of complete pieces runs short, but contains music of high quality. Much of Gershwin's written solo piano music consists of sketches. During his brief life, Gershwin poured most of his creative effort into Broadway musicals and movies and became one of the great songwriters. I never thought I'd live to see several competing versions of the complete Porgy and Bess, one of them led by Harnoncourt, a near-total Eurocentrist. Gershwin wrote few concert works, and most of those have entered the repertory. Summary for the Busy Executive: Fascinatin', elusive rhythm. ![]()
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