We got rhythm
The concert will be broadcast live on BR-Klassik radio.
An introductory talk with the soloist, the conductor, and the editor of the Concerto Edition, Dr. Norbert Gertsch, will take place at 6:45 p.m. in the concert hall. (Moderator: Malte Krasting)
Special concert marking the 100th anniversary of the premiere of George Gershwin's Concerto in F
One hundred years ago, a milestone in musical crossover was presented to the public for the first time: George Gershwin's Concerto in F, his only piano concerto and his first completely self-orchestrated orchestral work—a masterpiece of 20th-century music. Here, the songwriter and musical composer, who was already world-famous at the time, achieved a fusion of styles and forms that had previously seemed incompatible and that no one else has since brought together so naturally. In view of the 100th anniversary of the premiere, Munich-based publisher G. Henle Verlag, known for its performance-oriented Urtext editions, has released a source-critical edition of this piano concerto, restoring the musical text to the form left by Gershwin – without later supposed improvements by other arrangers. To mark the anniversary, the Concerto in F will now be performed in a special concert by the Bayerische Staatsorchester, interpreted by Canadian piano virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin.
Generalmusikdirektor Vladimir Jurowski places the work in the American context of its time: with another orchestral work and three songs by Gershwin (sung by the fabulous Natalie Lewis), as well as the second “American Symphonette” by Morton Gould, who is far too little known in Europe, and the three Dance Variations by Gershwin's rightful successor Leonard Bernstein.
“His melodies are not the product of a combination, nor of a mechanical union, but are units and therefore cannot be taken apart. Melody, harmony, and rhythm are not welded together, but cast.” (Arnold Schoenberg on George Gershwin)
“Music is music.” (Alban Berg at the conclusion of a discussion on the value of Gershwin's songs)