1924: Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

In terms of pure musicality, George Gershwin was America’s Schubert. He composed with a creativity and skill that immortalized his art, and hardly any of his works is more embedded in the world’s musical consciousness than Rhapsody in Blue, originally described by Gershwin as a “symphony” for piano solo and jazz band. This extraordinary chamber music program pays tribute to great composers who crossed the bridge between the classical and jazz idiom, with dazzling results.

Program
Ravel Sonata for Violin and Piano (1923-27)
Marsalis Selections from At the Octoroon Balls for String Quartet (1995) (CMS Co-Commission)
Milhaud La création du monde for Piano Quintet, Op. 81 (1923)
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue for Piano, Four Hands (1924) (arr. Henry Levine)