An American in Paris‎

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Image courtesy of L'Auditori

George Gershwin premiered An American in Paris in New York's Carnegie Hall in 1928. He had just turned thirty and he was already very well known for his Broadway premiers and, above all, for the famous Rhapsody in Blue. A generation later, the legendary Gene Kelly and actress Leslie Caron revived its popularity by bringing the music to the cinema screen. The 1951 film, directed by Vincent Minelli, has imprinted images in our minds that are intrinsically linked to the melodies of the young musician who one day reached the City of Lights and was so fascinated by its Bohemian cultural life.

Jean François Dichamp will play Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a demanding piece for the virtuoso pianist which implies interpreting a work first premiered by composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninov. In Assagets, Enric Casasses wrote that Paganini “invents romantic sentiments and explodes them,” and we might add that, in this work which he performed as a mature artist, Rachmaninov added the crowning touch.  

Performers

• Barcelona Symphony Band
• Jean-François Dichamp, piano
• Salvador Brotons, conductor

Program

• Ferde Grofé: Mississippi Suite (1926) 14'
• Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934) 22’
• Diego Corraliza: Wichahpi (2020) 8’—World premiere
• George Gershwin: An American in Paris, symphonic poem (1928) 16’

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