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George Gershwin's Manhattan Rhapsody in First Published Edition at the BBC Proms; Porgy and Bess at Glimmerglass

Jul. 01, 2017

George Gershwin's <em>Manhattan Rhapsody</em> in First Published Edition at the BBC Proms; <em>Porgy and Bess</em> at Glimmerglass

At this year’s BBC Proms, John Mauceri leads the BBC Concert Orchestra in the first published edition of his restoration of Gershwin’s Manhattan Rhapsody for piano and orchestra. The performance takes place August 4 at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Gershwin developed Manhattan Rhapsody as a long, climactic number in his score for the 1931 film Delicious. Sometimes called Rhapsody in Rivets, Mauceri describes the work as “a mini-sequel to the 1924 Rhapsody in Blue.” He writes, 

Gershwin would subsequently expand the score into his Second Rhapsody, doubling its duration and premiering it with the Boston Symphony in 1932. Manhattan Rhapsody represents the first major orchestral score by George Gershwin for the movies and is the counterweight for his very last orchestral work, the final ballet Watch Your Step! from the 1937 film Shall We Dance.

View the score:

Listen to a recording with Mauceri conducting the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and pianist Wayne Marshall (here titled New York Rhapsody):

From July 7 to August 21, the Glimmerglass Festival mounts a new production of George Gershwin’s beloved opera Porgy and Bess. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, the opera tells the story of a disabled beggar, Porgy, who is trying to create a home for himself and his lover, Bess. The American classic includes many well-known arias including “Summertime,” “Bess, You is My Woman Now,” and “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin.” The Glimmerglass production is conducted by John DeMain and directed by Francesca Zambello, with the roles of Porgy and Bess sung by Musa Ngqungwana and Talise Trevigne respectively. 

Director Zambello discusses the work, below, with a glimspe at the new production:

For more information on George Gershwin, visit schott-music.com.

George Gershwin
Porgy and Bess (1935)
an opera in three acts
libretto (Eng) by DuBose Heyward
lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin
founded on the play “Porgy” by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward
for 4 sopranos, 2 mezzo-soprano, alto, boy soprano, 6 tenors, 5 baritones, bass-baritone, speaking roles and chorus
2(2.pic).2(2.ca).3(3.,3.asax).bcl(tsax).1-3.3.2.1-timp.perc-pno.banjo-str (on stage: pno)
180’

Manhattan Rhapsody (1931)
for piano and orchestra
John Mauceri edition of the film version
3(3.pic).2.ca.2.bcl.2-4.3.3.1-timp.3perc-hp-str
10’

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