Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story features an almost total integration of its score in cellular-melodic terms and tonal planning, with Act I moving from C major to E flat and Act II returning to C major.
Performer Biography
Mariko Brown, the other half of the piano duo, made her first concerto appearance at age nine under conductor Dr. Ruth Gipps.
Historical Context
Many prominent 20th-century American popular music composers, including George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, had Russian or Ukrainian immigrant parents or grandparents.
Recording & Production
This album features the first recordings of Julian Jacobson's transcriptions of Gershwin's Second Rhapsody and An American in Paris.
Composition History
Gershwin's Second Rhapsody originated from an orchestral sequence cut from his first film, Delicious, which he then fashioned into a concert work.
Critical Reception
Gershwin considered his Second Rhapsody to be his finest work, but it was largely neglected by the public and remained unpublished during his lifetime.
Performer Biography
Julian Jacobson, one half of the piano duo, has performed the complete cycle of Beethoven Sonatas eight times, including a 'marathon' single-day performance for charity.
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