What do Duke Ellington, United Airlines, and the K Pop group Red Velvet share in common? They've all covered George Gershwin's piano concerto, Rhapsody in Blue. First premiered in 1924, the piece became an immediate hit for the way it blended American jazz with the European symphonic tradition. Gershwin had a number of successes as a composer in his day—his aria "Summertime" from the opera Porgy and Bess is by some measures the most covered song ever—but the staying power of the Rhapsody make it a rare instrumental piece that's instantly familiar. Maybe too familiar.
In 2024, there will be many centennial performances of this iconic piece, but pianist Lara Downes wanted to do something more than just the sound the notes of Gershwin's score for the umpteenth time. Downes commissioned Puerto Rican musician Edmar Colon to create a new version of Gershwin's composition, one that brought in the full spectrum of American life in 1924: fiery improvisation, Latin percussion, and dance rhythms. The resultant piece both pays tribute to an American icon while adding a new set of modern counterpoint.
Nate sat down with Lara to ask her if she was nervous to rewrite such a canonic piece, why a concerto is like a musical kaleidoscope, and the surprising family connection to Gershwin's musical world she discovered while researching Rhapsody in Blue.
Songs Discussed
George Gershwin, Lara Downes, Edmar Colon - Rhapsody in Blue Reimagined
Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
Gershwin - 3 Preludes: II. Andante con moto e poco rubato
Sarah Vaughan - Nice Work if You can Get It
Sam Cooke - Summertime
Chet Baker - But not For ME
Louis Armstrong - Aint Misbehavin
Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Skies
Red Velvet - Birthday
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bruno Major restyles the Great American Songbook
Black Is King (ICYMI Beyoncé's Gift To Africa ft. Ivie Ani)
folklore: taylor swift's quarantine dream
The Women Reclaiming Nu-Metal ft. Rina Sawayama
Rosie: Investigating a Crime at the Heart of the Music Industry
Song of Summer 2020: TikTok Jams, Protest Anthems, Breezy Bops & Bummer Bangers
The Many Colors of Lady Gaga’s ‘Chromatica’
I Am America (w Shea Diamond and Justin Tranter)
Baz Luhrmann’s “Sunscreen Song” — The 90s’ Most Unlikely Hit (with Avery Trufelman)
Jacob Collier on staying creative and his 646 track song “All I Need”
What it means to make music in 2020
Big Floyd And The Influence Of Houston Chopped N Screwed Music
Carly Rae Jepsen: Meeting The Muse
Why lo-fi is the perfect background music
Eurovision Lives! (with Netta)
How To Soundtrack A Villain: Killing Eve
Did Fiona Apple Just Release a Perfect Album?
Doja Cat’s “Say So” is a Masterclass in Good Times
Were We Wrong About Kanye West?
Aussie2Aussie: 5SOS on Tame Impala (with Luke Hemmings & Calum Hood)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
The Vulture TV Podcast
Vulture Festival Podcast