George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue broke new ground in its attempt to match jazz with the idiom of the romantic piano concerto. Commissioned by the band-leader Paul Whiteman, whose clarinetist suggested the famous opening break, the Rhapsody was followed by a more soberly titled Piano Concerto, a further exploration of the same synthesis. An American in Paris is well enough known from the film starring Gene Kelly, while Rhapsody in Blue was used for the film "Manhattan".
Recommended recording
Piano Concerto in F, An American in Paris & Rhapsody in Blue, with the pianist Kathryn Selby, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava) under the conductor Richard Hayman.
Naxos 8.550295
