Gershwin- Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra
George Gershwin’s path to the Concerto in F began with the famous Rhapsody in Blue, which professor Robert Greenberg describes as, “a medley of great tunes linked by some shockingly bad transitions…from a purely technical point of view, it is the shoddiest piece of music in the concert repertoire, bar none.” Luckily for us, Gershwin was commissioned in 1925 by Walter Damrosch to write a proper piano concerto. Unlike Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin orchestrated the entirety of his new concerto on his own (Rhapsody was orchestrated by Ferde Grofe), and it was premiered on December 3, 1925 in Carnegie Hall with Gershwin himself as the soloist.
The piece is “typical” Gershwin in that it makes use of jazz rhythyms and generally appeals to the public with catchy melodies and light-hearted rhythymic patterns, yet still holds enough musical value to be of interest to serious musicians. Certain musical textures in the concerto are unique in the repertoire, and while the piece is the most “classical” in the sense of adhering to traditional European forms there is zero chance it could be mistaken as anyone other than Gershwin’s.
I. Allegro
The first movement begins with four notes on the timpani and fast flute runs. The orchestra enters and plays the basic, off-balanced Charleston beat which is then followed by a bubbling bassoon solo. Following the third repetition of the timpani’s introduction and a long roll on the snare drum, the piano enters on a low C and begins a lazy but relatively simple theme one in which the orchestra is tacit. This is repeated with orchestral accompaniment before the orchestra takes over and launches into a more complete rendition of the Charleston. The piano then takes over the melody before the orchestra momentarily returns back into the piano’s introductory theme, which is soon replaced by the Charleston in the brass and winds with decorative strings. The piano re-enters with yet another Charleston variation about 5:15 into the movement. Probably one of my favorite moments in the entire piece, this variation is lively and soon moves to the upper register before quietly melting into a slow and lyrical passage in which the orchestral strings take up the melody. This is echoed with the full orchestra and piano and makes the first movement a microcosm of the whole by providing a rest in the middle of two fast sections. A loud ascending motif in the brass is followed by (surprise) the Charleston, except this time in a minor key with a slapstick in the percussion. The effect is to impart a sense of urgency to the movement- maybe the character in the piece is late to a meeting. This leads to a cadenza of sorts (8:33) in which the piano plays a wonderfully intricate tune which is repeated with the orchestra after a short bridge. The movement speeds up and the timpani returns with its opening 4-note motif before a grand pause and a full orchestral variation of theme one in the original tempo. The movement speeds up yet again and rushes to its conclusion, highlighted by a rapidly ascending piano roll and a last tribute to the Charleston before the movement ends.
II. Adagio- Andante con moto
The Adagio is in rondo form and starts with a french horn playing a two-note figure that sets the Blues-like tone for the rest of the movement. A muted, solo trumpet enters with theme one after a brief wind introduction. The trumpet solo has several jumps from some of its highest notes to some of its lowest, presenting a fairly difficult technical challenge to the trumpeter. The opening trumpet theme is restated, and followed by a short wind passage the piano enters with an upbeat melody (theme two) which I think describes a leisurely walk in a park, or some other scene of urban tranquility. This “walking” melody then passes to the strings, with the piano accordingly taking up the strings’ previous role in the background. Roles switch again as the piano repeats the theme, this time accompanied by a more urgent string section. A brushed snare drum makes its entrance round 4:15, before a bassoon solo (that almost sounds like it is played out of time, much like the famous bassoon solo in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4) leads into a brief violin solo. Theme one returns in the trumpet (5:13), after which the piano introduces theme three (6:14), in turn echoed by the orchestra. This builds in intensity before a flute calmly replays theme one and converses with the piano. A sharp descending string scale cues a variation of theme three in the piano. The orchestra then begins to build again before climaxing and ending with a quiet duet with the winds and piano.
III. Allegro agitato
The third movement rondo begins immediately with the rondo’s theme; first in the orchestra and then in the piano. Quick xylophone hits mark the beginning of the contrasting theme two (0:39), which is only about half as long as theme one and transitions into a fast, staccato version of the piano’s introductory theme in the first movement (0:59). Theme one returns again before nasal, muted trumpets blurt out theme three. Theme one returns in the piano and the xylophone before a faster version of the lyrical theme from the second movement (2:54). The 4-note timpani motif again precedes theme one in the piano and xylophone. A rapid, orchestral rendition of theme one is closed with a tam-tam before the orchestra reprises the main theme from the first movement in the brass with the second verse in the strings. A last series from the timpani sends the orchestra into two trills and the concerto ends on a last word from the piano and an loud closing.
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The Concerto in F is by far my favorite work by Gershwin, and it’s not hard to hear why. Gershwin seems to have had the ability to get just the right sound for the right moment, whether its the lonely trumpet (which is often muted by a beret or soft hat to give it a “distant” sound”) or the quick sting of the xylophone. The Concerto in F (1925) along with An American in Paris (orchestra, 1928) and Porgy and Bess (opera, 1935) form the Gershwin trifecta- his three most important contributions to the repertoire before his untimely death at age 38.
If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Arthur Fiedler’s 1997 recording with the Boston Pops Orchestra on RCA with Earl Wild as the soloist. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. Alternatively, you can purchase this recording from the iTunes Music Store often at a reduced price by following the link below.
This article is part of the Music 365 series. To find out more about this project, please visit the project homepage.
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