Start your piano journey today! betterpiano.com/ Follow me! Instagram: bit.ly/2WoR7W1 Twitter: bit.ly/2I02YAt Facebook: bit.ly/2K4rHq8 TikTok: bit.ly/2X7pnlN
Пікірлер: 759
@CharlesCornellStudios7 ай бұрын
Does Rhapsody in Blue pass the chill test for you too?? I've always LOVED this piece and I've always wanted to talk about it on the channel. Finding out more about its history is fascinating. Gigs are gigs, even for George Gershwin in 1924! To us, it feels like a MASSIVE turning point in history. To him though, it was just a gig. He just happened to be Gershwin. ANYHOO...HEY if you want to check out some free course material and get some cool downloads, check out the info for this year's Black Friday sale and sign up at this link! cornellmusicacademy.com/blackfriday
@_yoursalad447 ай бұрын
cheesburger
@thembill82467 ай бұрын
For one thing, musicology is just fun. For another, I just wanted to mention that I have a recording on vinyl of the piano reels that Gershwin himself recorded for this to be done on player piano, of Rhapsody in blue and of an American in Paris. Also Gershwin writing a piece that he didn't want to do, for a thing he didn't want to be in, and it becoming one of his most iconic things reminds me a lot of Michelangelo and the Sistine chapel. He didn't want to work for the Pope. He didn't want to do all that, it was back breaking work and he hated every minute of it, but it's one of the best things in art history.
@alessandroserpico78157 ай бұрын
Charles Cornell, will you ever talk about Nikolai Kapustin? I would love to hear you talk about his music.
@Meatloaf_TV7 ай бұрын
I hope u cover the prince of egypt in the future the music is phenominal
@DesertRat20017 ай бұрын
I have what's called the tear test - if a piece *really* hits me, I start tearing up. It's like the piece just takes over and controls my emotion. This one totally does it for me.
@bg3929Z7 ай бұрын
I cannot describe the emotional journey every teenaged clarinetist goes through seeing the opening bars of this sheet music for the first time. The dawning horror of “you want me to play *what*?!?” to realizing it’s gonna be ok, it’s just a scale. Then you do the mental math and realize the speed and technical implications of what fingering needs to happen. And then you weep. Then you try it. And it’s not as bad as you thought? But good god do you have to flub the last, highest bit for a while before you can get it in time….
@jsogman7 ай бұрын
love this "from inside the mind of a clarinetist" moment.... got any more for other peices?
@danieltsan51417 ай бұрын
i've never related more to a comment before.
@bg3929Z7 ай бұрын
@@danieltsan5141 It was sophomore year. I was 15 years old. There were 3 days until the concert when the Band Director handed me this so I could pinch hit as the soloist for someone in Jazz Band who was going to be out. I was not a member of the Jazz Band. I will Never Forget. #MusicTrauma 😂
@Vivi-Mage7 ай бұрын
As a first-year clarinetist, I absolutely cannot wait to go through this moment and learn this piece
@hantao21157 ай бұрын
Ok this isn't exactly accurate, it's written as a "scale" but it's played as a gliss, and glissing on clarinet requires the right embouchure, tongue position, and support. The fingering is just smearing your fingers off the tone holes
@nicholasz25107 ай бұрын
Rhapsody in Blue's original instrumentation was actually just an expanded jazz big band-- Ferde Grofé, the orchestrator of the version popular today, deserves a lot of credit as well! edit: as pointed out by replies, Gershwin actually just wrote a 2-piano reduction and Grofé even orchestrated the 1924 jazz band version too
@TheIrenepiekarski7 ай бұрын
Originally written for two pianos, Grofe made it what we know it as today, an orchestral piece.
@richardodonnell74657 ай бұрын
Grofé is so underrated. Grand Canyon Suite and Mississippi Suite are amazing.
@mcbill73527 ай бұрын
It was actually originally written for 2 pianos because gershwin was an inexperienced orchestrator. Grofé orchestrated it for Paul Whiteman's jazz band
@jsogman7 ай бұрын
are you saying Gershwin intended a Jazz Big band or that Grofe orchestrated it that way and THAT was the original version? just am unclear, thanks!
@nicholasz25107 ай бұрын
@@jsogman Gershwin always intended for the first-performed version to be for solo piano and jazz band, but instead of writing it out that way he wrote it for 2 pianos and handed that version off to Grofé to adapt for the performance version
@user-ig1ip6yt9c7 ай бұрын
I played this at the 1984 opening ceremony for the Los Angeles Olympics (along with 83 other pianists). Still have the memories and the powder blue tuxedo.
@counterfit57 ай бұрын
Can you still fit in it? 😉
@user-ig1ip6yt9c7 ай бұрын
No. Can't play it anymore either
@petebenes9487 ай бұрын
@@user-ig1ip6yt9chow does one play a powder blue tux? 😂😂😂
@EH238317 ай бұрын
🙌🏻 what a fantastic memory to have! 🎉
@kaziiqbal72577 ай бұрын
This is the most 80s thing I’ve ever heard
@marco_cee_7 ай бұрын
Gershwin and Grofe really defined the sound of that era. Unmistakable.
@kingeddiam25433 ай бұрын
What are some pieces by grofe you recommend?
@redyankeerose7 ай бұрын
This is my favorite song. I was so excited a a kid when I heard it in Fantasia. So much imagery! Glad you’re covering it!!
@helenasmagala99227 ай бұрын
Yes! Fantasia is where I know this piece from, and I’m so grateful for that
@humanchalk28357 ай бұрын
played the sorcerer's apprentice from fantasia my last concert and that is the hardest piece I've ever played. principal cellist turned around the first rehearsal and told me that he played it in highschool for all-state and he had nightmares about it
@bastiangugu40837 ай бұрын
You're right. The imagery of this piece in Fantasia is great. For me, it encapsulates the emotional rollercoaster of the musical journey perfectly. I simply love it, both the music and the animation. Such a great style too.
@ThePwig7 ай бұрын
It was technically Fantasia 2000, FYI for the people reading
@peterrealar2.0677 ай бұрын
Seriously, Fantasia 2000 was WONDERFUL. Underrated as hell for a concert feature. I'm sad we've never had one since.
@general_hayes7 ай бұрын
Wrote a paper on this concerto back in college...like a separate comment mentioned Fantasia 2000 bringing this concerto back to the public. One of my favorite remarks I remember researching was...that the piano part wasn't written until 'after' the concert...and that Gershwin improvised the entire performance. Not to mention the opening slide was originally envisioned as a scale and Whiteman's clarinet player changed it as a joke into the iconic slide/glissando.
@InventorZahran7 ай бұрын
Glissando literally means 'slide' in Italian.
@wjones287 ай бұрын
@@InventorZahrancool.
@healdogtoe2c7 ай бұрын
Chills E V E R Y time I hear this. If its a recording with an audience, tears will flow. Nothing like hearing the applause of a bunch of people transported by great music.
@youtubesmulmans18357 ай бұрын
It’s a great piece, and really enjoyable to play piano-solo. A much more recent composer who fused classical and jazz that I still would like to see discussed on this channel is Nikolai Kapustin. If you haven’t heard his work before, you’re in for a treat 😊
@sanders_billy7 ай бұрын
OMG KAPUSTIN YES 🤩 I'd love to see Charles's take on his etudes
@cranemon7 ай бұрын
Kapustin is like the perfect evolution and maturation of what Gershwin started, and I've yet to come across anybody who blended jazz and classical music as seamlessly as he did!
@olliemartinelli40347 ай бұрын
The Kapustin piano concertos are so so cool. I’d love to see them live but I don’t know where or how :(
@markdougherty99177 ай бұрын
He’s awesome. I’ve been learning his Pastorale Etude. Not easy!
@NoName-zn1sb5 ай бұрын
@@sanders_billy not
@melissafrye767 ай бұрын
I "found" this piece when I was a child and played it over and over again on my cassette player... I LOVE LOVE LOVE Rhapsody in Blue.
@softwarephil170911 күн бұрын
Same for me. I’ve loved for more than 60 years.
@randomizerca7 ай бұрын
Thank You, Thank You for showing Leonard Bernstein's performance where he conducts AND plays. This is - in my opinion - the best performance out there. Bernstein nailed it perfectly - ok, not perfectly - which makes me love it more. BTW, tell us about An American In Paris sometime. That iconic final melodic line (which we have to wait almost to the end to hear) is one of the best closing phrase ever written. F - E flat - B flat - G - G flat - slide back up to F.
@MonkeyJedi997 ай бұрын
As to, "It's not perfect." - If you want perfect, program a computer to play it. If you want music with feeling and nuance, get humans to play physical instruments.
@srj346 ай бұрын
Yes, Charles Cornell can tell it's not perfect. Many pianists in the comments maybe can tell. As a 30-year guitar player, maybe with enough listens and the sheet music on hand, maybe I could even tell. In an audience of 10,000 people, listening live, how many would be able to tell? Maybe two?
@nathanwall377 ай бұрын
Man, I just can't stop hearing the inspired train elements throughout the piece. I never knew that! +1 more thing to love about Rhapsody in Blue.
@EH238317 ай бұрын
Same! Never would have spotted that- now I can’t unhear it. 😮
@eirikstave38047 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video! I´m currently studying music in Copenhagen, and this was the first complete piece I ever played with an orchestra. It really is a masterpiece!
@40sgoingonfit7 ай бұрын
Man, your energy and enthusiasm in this video is contagious. This was one of your most fun videos to watch just because of how much fun you were having.
@NoName-zn1sb5 ай бұрын
hated it
@thomasjamison20507 ай бұрын
"To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time." - Leonard Bernstein
@melliemu1233 ай бұрын
found my new favorite quote HAHAHAH
@vincentmoore10587 ай бұрын
I still remember hearing Rhapsody in Blue for the first time! I heard it as I was driving my car, right out of high school, listening to the local classical radio station. Needless to say; my mind was blown!
@gabymoruza7 ай бұрын
Oh my gosh really?! I bet it was!
@softwarephil170911 күн бұрын
Yes! I understand. For me it was like seeing an incredibly beautiful woman and thinking “Who is she?!”
@susanelliott52097 ай бұрын
The cymbol player living his best life. I'd be grinning like an idiot.
@Anglaide4 ай бұрын
That song has always made me feel like I was flying, going higher and higher and then throwing me down to the ground in the finale. Wow!
@bethanynking5 ай бұрын
Yes! It’s my all time favorite of Gershwin. I remember it originally hearing it as a girl….on tv. The United Airlines theme song! But later in my adolescence, I was lucky enough to see Dudley Moore perform Gershwin songs on piano with a symphony, in Portland, OR. This song was the highlight. 🤩
@noahhelsee13404 ай бұрын
this is my favorite piece of music ever written. someone once asked me to "pick a song that represented the shape of my soul" and w/o hesitation this was my choice.
@noncrediblecase3417 ай бұрын
This and American in Paris are two of my favorite pieces of symphonic music. The jazz influences and the beautiful orchestrations that are present in these melodies are just out of this world.
@aarondolan19927 ай бұрын
This was actually the piece that made me want to learn piano. My brother was in the high school jazz band when he was in sixth grade and they brought in a pianist named Yasko Kubota and the way she played it just made it so obvious that I needed a piece for myself. Such a gorgeous piece ❤️❤️
@CorCor-mq8vm7 ай бұрын
Yeah but bloody difficult.
@SpitfireRoad7 ай бұрын
Same here. I eventually learned to play it but it took me 2 years after 8 years of lessons and virtually nonstop practice.
@bestiekyla59094 ай бұрын
This piece makes me cry every single time. Somehow Gershwin managed to put every single emotion in this song. Chills, tears, smiles, anger. They're all in there. Love it.
@johnwasson40397 ай бұрын
Charles, you are one of my FAVORITE people to listen to music with. What a blast! You have captured exactly how I (and many others) respond to Gershwin's genius (and Bernstein's too). Well done! YES!
@nbeutler11347 ай бұрын
7:44 that chord change is indeed godly
@AlfredPeeler-yj6sw7 ай бұрын
First heard this amazing piece when I was 7 years old. It gave me chills and tears. It still has the same effect 64 years later.
@LiamPearce2467 ай бұрын
The joy that he gets from this music is amazing. The way that this piece encorperates everything from a xylophone to a piano. What a song. Gershwin is one of the most amazing composers in history. Thanks for the spotlight!
@LiamPearce2467 ай бұрын
How is this also how J.R.R. Tolkien also wrote The Lord of the Rings Trilogy? His close friend C.S. Lewis "stole" his book and published it, even though tolkien didn't want to publish it. Coincidence, I think not!
@DizzyEyes947 ай бұрын
Thank you Charles. The music teacher who inspired me to take such joy in music as I see you do passed away in 2016. Since that day I constantly seek the impulse towards music appreciation that it feels like I lost then and your channel brings a piece of it back to me every time. It is a civil service that you perform and it's important to people. Never stop being this way~
@psycoNaughtplaysMCPC7 ай бұрын
Rhapsody in Blue was one of the pieces that inspired me to try my hand at being a musician. I 've fallen out of practice due to not having the space to do so but I thoroughly was enthralled by it, I always wanted to be that solo clarinetist playing the orchestra into the wall of sound. It's a powerful moving piece that always gives me chills whenever I hear it
@ThePwig7 ай бұрын
It’s my favorite piece of all time. So satisfying
@syphon477 ай бұрын
Charles your love and passion for music is so infectious. I love seeing your reaction to the music as you hear it
@parkermogensen6427 ай бұрын
This piece is by far Gershwin's best work. I can't imagine having to write this in five weeks. but at the same time, I have made several songs in one day, so I can understand a bit.
@counterfit57 ай бұрын
His piano concerto is pretty damn good too
@leob44037 ай бұрын
You can understand really? Have you written anything even close to this level in your life?
@gamby16a7 ай бұрын
That blue note in the opening clarinet run will always be bonkers. It turns a classical piece distinctly (African) American. Amazing that it'll be 100 years old soon. Still so progressive.
@NoName-zn1sb5 ай бұрын
Hmmm... "Porgy and Bess" written by two old Jews and a White couple.
@Art-ec5cb5 ай бұрын
@@NoName-zn1sbWhat are you trying to say?
@atomic322054897 ай бұрын
It is a very emotional piece for me. Joy, chills, chuckles and tears are all there, thanks George.
@davidwoods13377 ай бұрын
This is absolutely my favorite Gershwin -- and this is the first time I've heard some of the history behind how it was written. SO amazing.
@markdlondon7 ай бұрын
Charles, your joy and wonder while exploring this piece with us is so captivating and amazing. It was like I was hearing it for the first time as a teenager all over again with you by my side! Thank you.
@julieenslow59157 ай бұрын
I love it when you are sharing something you love. It is eyeopening, thrilling and your passion for music is addictive. Thank you sir!
@Chrisaxp7 ай бұрын
This is probably my favorite piece of music ever and your reactions are the same as mine to the rhythms, the powerful chords all of it often brings chills and can make me cry!
@kylejohn45437 ай бұрын
Man, I'm in love with this piece. From the first time I heard it as a kid, it's probably my favorite orchestral piece. The energy, the motion, the power, the variety! Thanks for sharing - I love your enthusiasm for music!!
@TheViliukas7 ай бұрын
I heard this piece for the first time in my childhood watching Fantasia. The animation fitted perfectly and made the composition even more emotional. I now get teary eyed listening to this piece because of the nostalgic childhood memories.
@aridvorakcomposer7 ай бұрын
Oh damn, thank you for making videos like this one! Your channel is my go-to place to re-ignite my passion when I'm overwhelmed and/or have an imposter syndrome in my score writing. It makes me remember why I do music in the first place. Just cheering along with you to the brilliance makes a big difference to me. Thanks!
@peterrealar2.0677 ай бұрын
OH, HELL TO YES. One of my all-time favorite classical pieces. I was waiting for this!
@Imaginationoverloadi7 ай бұрын
This absolutley is my favorite Gershwin piece. I love how it just sounds like the city and as a former clarinet player, it was my dream to do that solo, but I never got the chance. My local symphony is performing it March and I am so excited to see it.
@JimHopper7 ай бұрын
One of my favorite pieces ever written and certain the best piece of American music ever written - thanks for the video!
@elizabethmcleod83603 ай бұрын
Absolutely one of my favorite pieces of all time. I love the joy and awe it elicits. It’s definitely a goosebumps piece!
@mbcarlson7 ай бұрын
Absolutely brilliant! Hats off to Ferde Grofe for orchestrating it so perfectly.
@rachelsegal6056 ай бұрын
This happens to be my all-time favourite piece of music in any genre. It has everything and takes you on an incredible journey of emotions. It is just sensational. Thoroughly enjoyed your detailed breakdown and the reactions you make to the multiple spine-tingling chords throughout.
@rivkisteiner45337 ай бұрын
This piece makes me so happy every time I hear it!! I'm literally smiling from ear to ear after this video!
@iashakezula7 ай бұрын
I can’t believe I missed this one. I LOVE this piece too ever since when I was a just a kid, I would get goose bumps every time I listen to this .Such an awesome work of art. Thank you for sharing how Gershwin wrote this, I could actually hear the train and chaotic yet rhythmic tempo and sound. When I came to the US decades ago this was the first music sheet for piano that I bought and since I didn’t have a piano back then , I would follow the notes as I listen . It’s great reading everyone input here. 😊
@DannyBuenaflow7 ай бұрын
Omg thank you for covering one of my favorite songs of all time. I heard that all of the different themes have names and I wish I knew what they are. Also, the bit at 10:50 always sounds like Tom & Jerry to me lol.
@eleventhoperator7 ай бұрын
Such a phenomenal piece of music! Thank you for bringing jazz and other less loved styles to a larger audience! It's a shame that they aren't more popular. Gershwin is a legend :D
@juliojimenez97947 ай бұрын
Thank you for taking time for explaining that permutation. I didn't know it was that but I did know about that play with notes and I adore it !
@grewgirl7 ай бұрын
This is one of my all time favorite pieces, particularly the piano version. Thanks for covering this one.
@private5774 ай бұрын
My most favourite piece ever. I am currently learning this on the piano as a mostly self taught pianist. It is very difficult though extremely fun and beautiful. Love the piece.
@swamigrazgraziano35517 ай бұрын
So glad you did this video!!! Greatest of all time and 100 years later- nothing compares!!
@isntitrich0007 ай бұрын
I will be honest, I did get teary eyed too when I first heard of this piece. Still get teary eyed until now
@jerrythemouse282 ай бұрын
At United, we're connecting people. Uniting the world and doing it safely. From all of us, we sincerely thank you and enjoy your flight!
@kollibriterresonnenblume23145 ай бұрын
This might be my favorite piece of music ever, and it was fun watching you enjoy it as much as I do,.
@CathyMcD7 ай бұрын
I was a child of the 80s and this will always be the United Airlines song to me. That's probably what inspired my love of all things Gershwin and big band.
@roxannenelson80947 ай бұрын
I always have chills listening to this.
@Askharr7 ай бұрын
This is my favorite modern piece of orchestral music and holy cow, did it give me shivers while I was listening to it just now.
@TomStrahle7 ай бұрын
The Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar California actually has a player piano with a scroll played by Gershwin himself playing Rhapsody in Blue. So cool.
@GnuDuuc7 ай бұрын
Thank you so much, I have loved this piece since I was a toddler, when I discovered that we had a record that was blue vinyl and had an arial image of 2 grand pianos back-to-back on the label. But then, after the fascination of watching those pianos spin around faded, the music took me away and I've loved it ever since. I remember being pretty young when I started "directing" it in my living room. Powerful memories! Your enthusiasm for the different sections, I'm right there with you!
@twanohguy6 ай бұрын
The first time I heard this, well, it went to my soul. Have always loved it. Your enjoyment of it was enjoyable to see. Thank you!
@lis.anwell6387 ай бұрын
Watching you enjoy music is absolutely wonderful! 😊
@AaronPetitPianoTutorials7 ай бұрын
Thanks for this video! I love this. Brings back memories when I got to perform it (as a the pianist) with a symphonic band several years back. Such a great piece!
@Jethroblank7 ай бұрын
I'm headed to the Symphony this weekend and this will be part of the program. What a great primer for one of my favorite pieces!
@danielkeller66107 ай бұрын
Fantastic video! Literally one of my favorite pieces of all time. Thank you for shedding light on this :D
@TenMinuteTrips7 ай бұрын
It should be mentioned that it is Ferde Grofe’s 1942 arrangement for full symphony orchestra of Rhapsody in Blue that most of us are familiar with today. Ferde Grofe was Paul Whiteman’s arranger from 1920 to 1932. He’s more known to me as the composer of The Grand Canyon Suite.
@peterkampenhout7923 ай бұрын
This has always been my favorite piece of music. I listen to everything from Heavy Swedish Metal to South-Western Country, and yet I always come back to this piece when I’m bored of my musical selection.
@shadowstorm97877 ай бұрын
I'm about to play this piece for concert band in college, actually. I'm doing the clarinet solo! My band professor watches your videos by the way, you make great stuff! Wish me luck lol, I still need to learn how to pitch bend.
@markcooper60427 ай бұрын
This is just glorious; thank you for your insight into this masterpiece.
@MeredithAvila7 ай бұрын
Listening to you get excited about music is just like every conversation I'd ever want to have for the rest of my life.
@MadeByJoey7 ай бұрын
Charles, I love your joy! Thank you for sharing your heart and your knowledge with the world!
@ghyland77 ай бұрын
Charles- I love your videos. We are about the same age, and I graduated with a music ed degree, but played piano for the jazz ensembles, and I had a big focus on jazz pedagogy and history. Watching your videos reminds me of jazz ped classes from undergrad! I was fortunate to get to do a recording of rhapsody in blue with our university orchestra. It was a defining moment in my musical career. I have since left teaching music, and only perform with a few big band gigs a year nowadays, but I love watching your videos and getting to feel like I’m part of it all again. Cheers!
@timothyproksch2915Ай бұрын
Now that you mentioned it I can hear the train in it I live next to the train tracks and as a boy used to ride a train from Detroit to wabash Indiana. Thanks
@BollocksThreeofThem7 ай бұрын
My new favorite video you’ve ever done! Love every moment!
@pohldriver7 ай бұрын
I first discovered it when I was like 7 or 8, thanks to it being used by American Airlines in their commercials. Shortly afterwards, my mom got a tape that included the whole piece. I listened to it a lot, only finding out then it was called Rhapsody in Blue. In those days, the nostalgic resurgence of steam locomotives was at its height, with quite a few steam trains running in the Reading, PA area, because it's Reading. The song absolutely conveys the essence of riding behind steam on bolted tracks, passing heavy industry, and watching the sun rise from your cabin as the city springs to life. Which, because I had experienced that, is what I always pictured in my mind.
@scifiromance7 ай бұрын
One of my favorite pieces ever. Thank you so much for this look at it.
@Chipcen7 ай бұрын
I’ve always loved this music. A few years ago I was listening this music and my son came in the room and asked me why I was listening to the United Airlines music. It always amazes me how we see the world differently from the window in our lives.
@thomasvlaskampiii68507 ай бұрын
Of all the music in Fantasia 2000, this piece is one of my favorites. It's absolutely incredible!
@Just_Sara7 ай бұрын
Okay, this is the BEST possible way to start my evening, thank you so much!
@Arnoudtunes7 ай бұрын
Thank you for showcasing my favorite piece of all time! ❤
@that_guyakaarea02gaming157 ай бұрын
I had to listen to this as an assignment in my symphony band class recently, this video has such great timing, i love this piece of music :D
@M0nkeybomber7 ай бұрын
Just wow... always been one of my favorite pieces. What a great story around it.
@xbchng7 ай бұрын
Great explanation!!! It's already one of my favourite concerto pieces, so much so that I played the solo piano arrangement during my graduation recital, and your explanation made me love it even more. ❤
@Maxi-ne9wf6 ай бұрын
one of my favorite music ever written!!! thanks for the video! love it!!!!
@Tess7917 ай бұрын
So amazing seeing someone SO HYPED for this!!! Just today I remembered it has been few weeks I havent listened to this masterpiece!!!! :))) My favorite of all time!!!!!!
@t.d.81596 ай бұрын
I also love this piece! Every time I listen it, i am: 🥰😇🤗
@CapnKV7 ай бұрын
I love this piece! Really captures an era. Never knew all the history behind it. George Gershwin’s Cuban Overture is also an incredibly important and beautiful piece
@FlyingAce10167 ай бұрын
YAY BEEN WANTING YOU TO COVER THIS FOR AGES :D
@enzoarayamorales72207 ай бұрын
This was probably the first orchestral piece I’ve ever heard that brought me to tears, it’s one of few pieces of music that I consider to be perfect
@trevjr7 ай бұрын
As a musician hooked on the germans and russians you really brought this to life for me. I play viola and have played this in orchestra few times and I remember how much I enjoyed it but then never listened to it again. The powerful chords and orchestration is just overwhelming. I learned the slow Gershwin piano prelude and really enjoyed that too. You have really inspired me to listen to him again and play! Your videos are so wonderful, I seem to enjoy the same things you do at the same moments. I think their also is a part with some Bach counterpoint going. I can tell by playing his music that he is a real musician, he can live in both worlds. This reminds me how great composers used folk music and elevated it to the high classical music standards. Enescu, Smetana, Dvorak, Khachaturian, even Stravinsky. Mahler elevated klezmer music to that high level, throwing in kletzmer band sounds into times of calm. Ives used american folk tunes all throughout his incredible modern music that was so far ahead in time of the other composers. In any case, I love your passion for music in all forms, amazing stuff my man.
@ferdberffle7 ай бұрын
Thank you. This was my uncle's favorite. He bequeathed his 78rpm record to me when he passed. So this has always been a special piece to me.
@V3-SPR7 ай бұрын
Absolutely my favorite piece of all time. Thanks for doing it justice!
@KYoss687 ай бұрын
My very favorite performance of this was done by the Santa Fe Orchestra with Emily Bear as the pianist. She's a pianist and composer and performed this at 13 as her Rhapsody debut. The orchestra is totally on point and she absolutely kills the piano part, playing the optional long versions of each piano solo with passion, without a single miss and with no notes. Absolutely spectacular.
@katherinehunter95262 ай бұрын
Oh my heavens, thank you! Yes, it is one of the GREATEST songs of all time in my books! My folks had this album, and it became mine! Still have it today. I saw the George and Ira stories on a late night TV show at 9, and it finishes me. Then, a few weeks later, the same TV station played American in Paris. OMG, it changed my life! Hooked for LIFE! I have been a lover of this music for over 6 decades now. It still gives me delight and physical rush to hear this song. Just yesterday, I had a young kid 3 or 4 dancing along with me in the building laundry room as I played the song on my smartphone, and we waited to change over the loads! On my smartphone!? Gawd, my parents would be so blown away to think of these great intentions that allow us to play this classic song on a handheld device. Now if we could just learn to live in Peace and Love and let the Music wash over us and let us know we can live in harmony as the notes and instruments show us in this song that blends it all together to create a masterpiece! Thank you for sharing your DEEP LOVE of my favorite song and breaking down the different changes! I learned to dance to this song in my living room as an 8 - and 9 year old kid and still love to dance to it wherever I can! I had my oldest son on George's birthday! September 26. Our CBC radio station was doing a Birthday tribute to George that night so on his first night of life my son in 1987 was listening to music I fell in love with because of my mother and fathers great record collection! They weren't around anymore, but the music will always be here! Talk about feeling blessed! Thanks again! What a wonderful surprise to pop up in my feed! 🕊💕 🎹 🥁 🪈🎺🎷🎶💃🎉
@markgilmore20777 ай бұрын
Boy, do you bring music to life!! LOVE IT!!!
@swysocki39206 ай бұрын
This was the favorite song of my father and me. I would help him prepare dinner and this would come on the radio. He and I would be conducting while we cooked. The best memory!
@tamlynburleigh92677 ай бұрын
Love your enthusiasm. That’s how I feel about music like this. Dvorak is my favourite at the moment.