This compilation is
the obvious Gershwin collection from
his concert music, though the addition
of the Cuban Overture would have
been a bonus. And Michael Tilson Thomas
is a major talent in this repertoire,
whose performances of Gershwin have
been an important force on the international
musical scene for some time now. On
these grounds alone this disc is an
important and valuable addition to the
catalogue.
The Rhapsody in
Blue is given in its original version.
There is a later version involving full
symphony orchestra that has become well
known, and which works well enough on
its own terms. But once heard the original
concert band version, written for Paul
Whiteman in 1924, becomes the clear
choice. The textures are leaner, the
contours more keenly articulated; so
too the rhythms. Both these versions
were scored by Ferde Grofé, and
both are done with consummate skill
and craftsmanship. Tilson Thomas has
long been an advocate of this piece
in this version, and his performance
is keen-edged and alert, as well as
very unromantic. Like an musical masterwork,
the Rhapsody in Blue can survive
many different styles of performance,
but this one is nothing if not compelling.
The same is true of
the way that Tilson Thomas conducts
an American in Paris. This piece
uses Gershwin’s own scoring and is particularly
colourful from the very first bars,
evoking the Parisian scene replete with
the sound of taxi-horns. The performance
is lively and dramatic to a fault, and
while this brings gains, aided by a
marvelously rich and detailed recording,
on the other hand the line of development
comes second to the distinctive characteristics
of the various sections, with the result
that the performance seems more episodic
than it might. A case of swings and
roundabouts, perhaps.
Garrick Ohlsson is
one of the world’s great pianists among
the current generation. Known for his
Chopin and Brahms, here he tackles the
Gershwin Concerto in F with skill and
sensitivity. With Tilson Thomas conducting,
the stylistic characteristics of the
performance are never in doubt, while
the taxing solo part is delivered with
panache and sure rhythmic control, even
in the most complex passages. But the
jewel in the crown is surely the central
slow movement, which is done with the
utmost sensitivity and poetry.
Terry Barfoot
Garrick Ohlsson (piano) 
