Gershwin: An American in Paris

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Image courtesy of L'Auditori.

Focused entirely on North American musical production, the concert begins with a piece written by John Adams, a trailblazer in contemporary minimalism. The piece “I Still Dance” demonstrates a dense orchestral work rich in fluctuations in which repetition coexists with surprise.

This dialectic can be found again in a different language to that of the Serenade for Violin and Orchestra that Bernstein completed in 1954. Composed for string orchestra, harp and percussion in addition to the omnipresent solo violin—James Ehnes in this case—it was seen by its author as being close in spirit to Plato’s Symposium: “a series of declarations in which love is praised,” making each movement evolve based on the elements of the previous one.

Also in the 1950s, Gunther Schuller wrote Symphony for Brass and Percussion, reminiscent of imposing landscapes. From a certain distance yet marking a compositional milestone that they were all to have in common, An American in Paris by George Gershwin grasps the urban atmosphere of the city of light: its frenetic movements during the day, the aura of love that surrounds strollers in the evening, and the hubbub of jazz at night-time parties.

Program

• Gunther Schuller: Symphony for Brass and Percussion (1950) 18′
• Leonard Bernstein: Serenade for Violin and Orchestra (1954) 33′
• John Adams: I Still Dance (2019) 8′
• George Gershwin: An American in Paris (1928) 20’

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