Piano Concerto (Gershwin)
The Piano Concerto in F major was composed in 1925 and premiered in New York's Carnegie Hall by the American pianist and composer George Gershwin (1898–1937).
Emergence
The concert was written in 1925, a year after the Rhapsody in Blue . Gershwin was already well known at that time thanks to the considerable success of Rhapsody in Blue. In contrast to the Rhapsody, the piano concerto was personally orchestrated by Gershwin. The conductor Walter Damrosch ordered it from Gershwin immediately after the publication of the rhapsody, with the condition that he should stick to the forms of a classical piano concerto and orchestrate it himself. Gershwin, who had no experience whatsoever in orchestration and the theory of forms in symphonic works, read the necessary knowledge and thus quickly acquired the necessary craft in an autodidactic way.
The work actually shows a great compositional progress in Gershwin's work. The concert is classical in form and shows some harmonic and melodic elements of classical symphonic work, but again skillfully combines these with elements of jazz music . As in the Rhapsody in Blue , a synthesis of both elements takes place again, as it is unique in music history. The expanded line-up also points to jazz elements. Gershwin used a larger wind instrument and three players for the percussion. In some passages the work is reminiscent of Sergei Rachmaninoff .
To the music
occupation
Solo piano , 2 flutes , piccolo , 2 oboes , English horn , 2 clarinets , bass clarinet , 2 bassoons , 4 horns , 3 trombones , 3 trumpets , timpani , percussions and strings .
1st movement: Allegro
The work begins with some jazz sounds initiated by the timpani . The clarinets then introduce the first theme of the movement. The piano begins with a solo entry under the drum roll, in which it re-articulates and continues the theme. After extensive processing, the second theme is presented in the orchestra. It's a fast-paced, jazzy and erratic theme that leads to a great acceleration of the musical process. Shortly afterwards, the more dramatic main theme paves the way again. In another part that is faster and belongs to the second theme, the piano intones a delightful jazz melody with great ease. The climax of the movement is reached when the piano and orchestra increase the main theme and present it in lofty size. This is reminiscent of the high points of Sergei Rachmaninoff's piano concertos . The mood is changed by a sudden increase in tempo. The piano plays fifths to accompany the orchestral melody made up of jazz elements. In this style, the main theme now sounds in a changed character. An intensification of the opening thought, combined with the main theme, leads to the coda , in which the easier second theme leads to the end of the movement.
2nd movement: Adagio - Andante con moto
The andante begins with an indecisive gesture on the part of the woodwind, to which the solo trumpet, the use of which is quite common in jazz music, responds with a wistful melody. This introduction of the Andante takes a quarter of the whole movement and provides a Blues - reminiscence . Is is accompanied the trumpet of warm and quiet chords in the strings. Only after a long time does the solo piano join the action and accelerate the musical course a little with a repetitive theme. After a while, a solo violin surprisingly takes over the theme and returns to the solo trumpet. A retarding moment leads to a solo performance by the piano, which processes the trumpet melody. The orchestra responds with a full performance of the theme, which the piano accompanies with some ornate chords. The climax of the sentence is reached. After a final increase, the poignant movement fades away piano .
3rd movement: Allegro agitato
The third movement takes up some of the motifs from the other two. It starts in the orchestra with a fast theme based on short repeated notes. It is based on the jazz form of ragtime . The solo piano soon takes on the theme with great virtuosity. The main theme of the first movement now briefly reappears. A grandioso insert quotes the climax of the first movement, and the piano theme of the second movement also appears briefly. These images quickly pass by like shadows. The middle part of the movement consists mainly of jazz elements in the interplay of solo piano and orchestra. Then the final increase of the first sentence is quoted. With a quick throw in of the piano, answered by the orchestra, the concert ends jubilantly with the F major sixth chord .
effect
The conductor Walter Damrosch premiered the work with the New York Symphony Orchestra on December 3, 1925 in Carnegie Hall . Gershwin played the solo part on the piano. The sold out concert turned out to be another huge hit for Gershwin. Despite all the euphoria, the criticism in the newspapers was more cautious and tried in vain to classify the work as jazz music or so-called classical music. The work sparked divided opinions among contemporary composer colleagues. Igor Stravinsky thought it was a masterpiece, while Sergei Prokofiev did not appreciate it. In the film An American in Paris , large parts of the concert are used as film music.
Gershwin's piano concerto is still performed frequently and with great pleasure. His delightful synthesis of jazz and classical elements leads to great interest in the work.
literature
- Hansjürgen Schaefer (Ed.): Concert Book Orchestermusik GO , in it: George Gershwin, VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1973.
- Harenberg concert guide. Harenberg Kommunikation, Dortmund 1998, ISBN 3-611-00535-5 .