‘Recording these three essential Gershwin masterpieces with the brilliant musicians of the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic (NOIP) and Kevin Cole, the greatest Gershwin interpreter of our time, is a dream come true for me. While Kevin and I have performed these works all over the world, we have never had the privilege of recording them until now, and we are so proud to present them for the very first time restored to their original glory in the University of Michigan’s new Critical Edition.
We feel confident that this is the way George imagined these pieces: crisp, sassy, and incredibly hot, with the crackling vitality and fearlessness of youth, so brilliantly captured by the dazzling virtuoso musicians of the NOIP.’
– David Alan Miller
George GERSHWIN (1898–1937)
Rhapsody in Blue * †
Second Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra *† • Cuban Overture †
Joan TOWER (b. 1938)
1920/2019
Steven STUCKY (1949–2016)
Dreamwaltzes
Kevin Cole, Piano * • National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic • David Alan Miller
† WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING OF GERSHWIN CRITICAL EDITION
This album presents three classic Gershwin pieces heard in premiere recordings of the new Gershwin Critical Edition. The edition seeks to create the most accurate representation of the composer’s intentions using all existing manuscripts and other sources, such as piano rolls. In the case of Rhapsody in Blue the edition is based on Ferde Grofé’s symphonic arrangement, though 44 measures from the original jazz band version are included. Also featured are the Second Rhapsody and the Cuban Overture, alongside Joan Tower’s propulsive study in rhythm and texture, and Steven Stucky’s ghostly waltz evocations.
Peter BOYER (b. 1970)
Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue
Jeffrey Biegel, PianoLondon Symphony Orchestra
Peter Boyer, Conductor
Also marking Gershwin’s anniversary this month is a digital-only recording of Peter Boyer’s Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue, which the composer introduces as follows:
‘This work was conceived by the prodigious American pianist Jeffrey Biegel, who approached me with his ambitious idea for a project to celebrate the centennial of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. I hesitated before accepting the commission, knowing that the piece I was being asked to compose would be performed repeatedly alongside Rhapsody in Blue – one of the most iconic and beloved works of American music. I wondered how any piece of mine could withstand inevitable comparisons to the Gershwin work – especially with Jeffrey’s chosen title, Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue. However, he is as persuasive as he is gifted, and so I accepted the commission.’
David Alan Miller, music director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, has reaffirmed the orchestra’s reputation as the nation’s leading champion of American symphonic music. He received GRAMMY Awards for his recording of Christopher Theofanidis’ Viola Concerto (2021) and for his Naxos recording of John Corigliano’s Conjurer (2014) with the Albany Symphony and percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. In addition to his work with the Albany Symphony, he currently serves as artistic advisor to the Sarasota Orchestra and the Little Orchestra Society of New York.
Kevin Cole has delighted audiences with a repertoire that includes the best of American music, and has garnered sweeping acclaim as a preferred Gershwin interpreter from some of the foremost critics in the United States. Cole is an award-winning musical director, arranger, composer, vocalist and archivist who has been publicly heralded by Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Marvin Hamlisch, and members of the Jerome Kern and Gershwin families.
The National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic (NOIP) is one of the most celebrated festival orchestras in the United States. Having received a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Orchestral Performance in 2019 for their album of works by Ruggles, Stucky, and Harbison (8.559836), its alumni occupy important positions in virtually every major symphony orchestra in the US. Held annually at the University of Maryland, the NOIP is a leader in orchestral training and creative programming, championing works by underrepresented composers alongside standards of the repertoire.
GERSHWIN, G.: An American in Paris
COPLAND, A.: An Outdoor Overture
Wolf Trap Opera • National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic
Judd
– Classical Candor
RUGGLES, C.: Sun-Treader
STUCKY, S.: Second Concerto for Orchestra
National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic
Miller
– Fanfare
ADAMS, S.: Drift and Providence
BARBER, S.: Symphony No. 1
National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic
Ross
– Gramophone
TORKE, M.: Bright Blue Music
COPLAND, A.: Appalachian Spring – Suite
National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic
Miller
– Audiophile Audition