Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F major - download (MP3 & FLAC)

Freddy Kempf and Andrew Litton with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra here join forces to present a disc of works by George Gershwin.

Rhapsody in Blue was originally arranged by Ferde Grofé for jazz band before being orchestrated for symphony orchestra. Here Kempf and the Bergen Philharmonic play this original version.

Concerto in F was a commission for Gershwin to write a ‘proper’ piano concerto, but still takes the rhythms, melodic structures and bluesy harmonies of popular music.

The disc is completed by Gershwin’s two remaining works for piano and orchestra, the Second Rhapsody and Variations on ‘I Got Rhythm’.

Magnetic, easy-going and delightfully articulate, Canadian pianist Ian Parker captivates audiences wherever he goes. An enthusiastic recitalist, he has performed across the United States, Western Europe, Israel and throughout Canada on tours with Debut Atlantic and Jeunesses Musicales du Canada. A stunning performance by both soloist and the London Symphony Orchestra.

George Gershwin’s Concerto in F was a response to demands for a ‘proper concerto’ after the success of Rhapsody in Blue, avoiding programmatic content while providing a feast of tunes both uplifting and nostalgic. Originally intended as music for a film, his up-beat Rhapsody No. 2 describes the bustling Manhattan cityscape while under construction. Sourced from his hit musical Girl Crazy, I Got Rhythm Variations was Gershwin’s last full score.

Young soloist Orion Weiss is already established in the US and is rapidly making a name on the world concert stage. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra lead by JoAnn Falletta already has a large Naxos following through acclaimed releases such as Corigliano’s The Red Violin (8559671).

Pianist Orion Weiss holds a leading position among American musicians of his generation. His impressive list of awards includes the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year Award, the Gilmore Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Gina Bachauer Scholarship at The Juilliard School and the Mieczysław Munz Scholarship.

JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and Virginia Symphony in the United States and Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland. Her Naxos recordings include the double GRAMMY® Award winning disc of works by John Corigliano and GRAMMY® nominated discs of works of Tyberg, Dohnányi, Fuchs, Schubert, and Respighi.

Celebrating its 80th anniversary season, the NSO here presents its first recording under its new music director. In the U.S., Christoph Eschenbach has previously held music directorships with Houston Symphony, Ravinia Festival, and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

This new release celebrates the memory of John F. Kennedy, and the 50th anniversary of his inauguration as U.S. President, by coupling new and historic recordings by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C.

CD 1 features Christoph Eschenbach conducting the January 2011 anniversary concert at the Kennedy Center. It includes the world premiere recording of Peter Lieberson’s Remembering JFK (An American Elegy), with famous actor Richard Dreyfuss narrating excerpts from speeches of President Kennedy. Also included are Bernstein’s popular Symphonic Dances from ‘West Side Story’.

CD 2 features excerpts from the previously unreleased 1961 Inaugural Concert under then-Music Director Howard Mitchell, including radio commentary from the original broadcast.

This CD features two masterpieces of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, two of the most widely acclaimed American composers of the 20th century.

Gershwin’s Concerto in F famously illustrates the bridge between the worlds of classical and jazz/popular music.

Bernstein’s monumental Symphony No. 2, inspired by W.H. Auden’s dramatic poem “The Age of Anxiety”, is regarded as one of his finest classical works.

This disc features acclaimed pianist Ingrid Jacoby as soloist; her earlier CD recordings have earned highest accolades from Gramophone and Classic FM.

Conductor Dmitry Liss leads the Russian National Orchestra, which since its foundation by Mikhail Pletnev in 1990 has quickly reached a position at the top of Russian orchestras, as well as among the top ten of international orchestras (as listed by Gramophone).

Praised by The New York Times for her “clear articulation… unequivocal phrasing… (and) expressivity”, Ingrid Jacoby has established herself as one of the most poetic and admired pianists of her generation.