Gershwin in Blue

GERSHWIN IN BLUE

Programme

PORGY AND BESS FANTASY 
for chamber orchestra

RHAPSODY IN BLUE
for chamber orchestra and solo piano
Soloist: Maria Hanneman

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
for chamber orchestra

Ensemble of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, ODA
Conductor: Mtra. Isabel Costes

Porgy and Bess Fantasy

Porgy and Bess has inspired countless adaptations, arrangements and reinterpretations since its premiere, the first being Gershwin's own 1936 orchestral suite, Catfish. Row. In this suite, Gershwin omitted many of the hit songs, preferring to use lesser-known orchestral material. However, the dramatic narrative of the story was of secondary importance, and many later operatic suites are essentially mash-ups of the best tunes. This new Fantasia is a symphonic work that incorporates many of the songs and orchestral scenes into a continuous single-movement structure. It follows the course of the story in order and attempts to condense the action into a fluid dramatic framework, using only Gershwin's music. The arrangement for small orchestra brings the music closer to a Broadway band, bolder and punchier, as opposed to the shimmering, bright sound of a large symphony orchestra.

Rhapsody in Blue

George Gershwin (1898-1937) composed his Rhapsody in Blue in a matter of weeks before its premiere in 1924. It was commissioned by conductor Paul Whiteman for his own ensemble and premiered at New York's Aeolian Hall in a concert intended to showcase a new style of symphonic jazz. Whiteman's ensemble consisted of 23 musicians, mostly winds and brass with violins, percussion and banjo. In 1926, due to the great demand for the piece, it was re-composed for a standard symphony orchestra, incorporating full string sections, wind and brass instruments. This new chamber orchestra version uses a similar number of players as the original band version, restoring the smaller scale of Whiteman's band, but with the full range of orchestral colours familiar from the orchestral version and from Gershwin's own works.

An American in Paris

"My purpose here is to portray the impressions of an American visiting Paris while strolling through the city. He listens to various street noises while absorbing the French atmosphere". With these words, George Gershwin characterised his work An American in Paris, which he himself defined as 'a rhapsodic ballet' and is written freely and in a fresh, modern idiom.

First performed in New York on 13 December 1928, Gershwin was inspired to compose the piece by a visit to Paris and included some genuine Parisian taxi horns he had brought home. Although not specifically programmatic, the work follows the moods of an American visitor listening to the various street noises and observing the colourful scenes. Soon the music turns to blues as the American feels homesick and the trumpet plays a melody full of longing. The spirit of the city remains positive, however, and the piece progresses through a succession of bright and witty episodes, before ending triumphantly. This arrangement is for seventeen players and was made in 2011.

Concerts

MARÍA HANNEMAN VERA

18-year-old Mexican pianist

A student at the National Conservatory of Mexico, María is currently studying at the Centro Integrado de Música Padre Antonio Soler de San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid, Spain.

At only 18 years old, she has been recognised with 27 awards (7 Mexican and 20 international); she has attended 25 festivals, the most recent being the Festival Paax GNP of the maestro Alondra de la Parra. She has given more than 60 recitals and concerts, and has performed as a soloist with 13 orchestras. He has performed in prominent venues such as the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City; he has performed in important award ceremonies in venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Royal Albert Hall in London and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

He has collaborated with singers Javier Camarena and María Katzarava. In Spain he has given recitals at the Fundación Casa de México, at the Ateneo de Terrassa, Catalonia, and at the festival organised by the Associació de Concerts Reus in 2024.