Playing Gershwin

Featuring

Jonathan Bloxham
Iiro Rantala
Antti Tikkanen
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
George Gershwin

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Iiro Rantala states that he needs to play Johann Sebastian Bach every day, indicating the baroque master's music is a fundamental part of his musical vocabulary.

Performer Biography

Iiro Rantala studied jazz piano at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

Notable Performances

The 1924 premiere of George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' in New York's Aeolian Hall was attended by prominent composers and musicians, including Sergei Rachmaninov and Jascha Heifetz.

Performer Biography

Iiro Rantala, born in 1970, is known as "Finland's best known jazz musician internationally" and is equally at home in classical and jazz music.

Compositional Technique

George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' was originally titled 'American Rhapsody' but was renamed by his brother Ira Gershwin, inspired by James Whistler's paintings.

Recording & Production

This album is the second collaboration between Finnish jazz pianist Iiro Rantala and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, following a live album released in January 2018.

Performer Biography

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is an internationally recognized orchestra, with Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi serving as its Artistic Director since 2004.