Musical roots
This weekend the WCFSO will perform the 1920s theater orchestra version of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, on a special concert tracing the paths that African American musics have taken into the concert hall. But the influence of Gershwin’s own compositions on subsequent generations of musicians of all ethnic and aesthetic backgrounds is also striking to behold. If you have any doubt as to the composer’s massive influence in American musical culture, check out just how many artists trace their musical roots back to him:
Fascinatin’ Rhythm: A Tribute to George Gershwin, part 1 – mp3
APM American Routes – January 2, 2008
Fascinatin’ Rhythm: A Tribute to George Gershwin, part 2 – mp3
APM American Routes – January 2, 2008
Ever since I first came across the unforgettable clarinet wail that opens Rhapsody – and even more so after playing and conducting the piece a few times since then – I’ve been intoxicated by the uniquely American blend of infectious rhythm and multicultural reference that pervades Gershwin’s music. Clearly I’m not the only conductor who feels this way:
Marin Alsop’s Shared Musical Roots – mp3
NPR Weekend Edition – November 14, 2009
[American Routes program originally linked here the last time I performed Rhapsody.]
