Jazz Age music by Gershwin and Harbison

Synopsis

It was wet and cold in New York on today’s date in 1925, but a curious crowd gathered at Carnegie Hall for a concert by the New York Symphony. Walter Damrosch was to conduct the world premiere of a new Piano Concerto by George Gershwin, who would also be the soloist.

The audience reacted with cheers and bravos, but the reviews were mixed: “Conventional, trite ... [and] a little dull” was the verdict of one; but another was enthusiastic, suggesting: “Of all those writing the music of today, [Gershwin] alone actually expresses US.” In the America of 1925, that “us” would have included the owners of speakeasies, raccoon coats, and Stutz Bearcat roadsters. It was the Jazz Age — an era magically captured in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby.

Seventy-four years later, in December of 1999, John Harbison’s opera based on The Great Gatsby premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, playing to sold-out houses. Once again, audiences were enthusiastic — the critics less so.

To capture the mood of the 1920s, Harbison had composed a number of original songs in Jazz-Age style, which he incorporated as themes in his opera. These tunes have even been published as a separate Gatsby Songbook!

Imagine: a modern opera with tunes audiences can actually hum as they leave the theater! What will they think of next?

Music Played in Today's Program

John Harbison (b. 1938): Remembering Gatsby Baltimore Symphony; David Zinman, conductor; Argo 444 454

George Gershwin (1898-1937): Piano Concerto; Peter Jablonski, piano; Royal Philharmonic; Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor; London 430 542

On This Day

Births

• 1729 - Baptism of Spanish composer and organist, Padre Antonio Soler, in Olot

• 1883 - Austrian composer Anton Webern, in Vienna

• 1914 - American composer Irving Fine, in Boston

• 1938 - Uruguayan-born American composer and conductor, José Serebrier, in Montevideo

Deaths

• 1866 - Bohemian composer Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda, age 65, in Karlsruhe, Germany

• 1876 - German opera composer Hermann Goetz, age 35, in Hottingen, near Zurich, Switzerland

• 1941 - Norwegian composer Christian Sinding, age 85, in Oslo

• 1978 - American composer William Grant Still, age 83, in Los Angeles

Premieres

• 1712 - Handel: opera Il Pastor Fido, in London (Julian date: Nov. 22)

• 1724 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 62 (Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland I) performed on the 1st Sunday in Advent as part of Bach’s second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25)

• 1739 - Handel: Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, in London (Julian date: Nov. 22)

• 1740 - Handel: opera Imeneo in London (Julian date: Nov. 22)

• 1908 - Elgar: Symphony No. 1, at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England, with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Hans Richter

• 1913 - Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 (Gregorian date: Dec. 16)

• 1913 - Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 2, in Vienna

• 1925 - Gershwin: Piano Concerto, at Carnegie Hall in New York, with the composer as soloist and the New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch

• 1931 - Edward Joseph Collins: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Concert Piece), by the Chicago Symphony, Frederick Stock conducting and the composer as soloist

• 1943 - Hanson: Symphony No. 4 (Requiem), with the Boston Symphony conducted by the composer; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1944

• 1949 - Grofé: Death Valley Suite, at Desolation Canyon, California, by the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by the composer

• 1953 - Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 4, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet

• 1954 - Barber: oratorio Prayers of Kierkegaard for soloists, chorus and orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting

• 1954 - Walton: opera Troilus and Cressida, at Covent Garden in London

• 1958 - Colin McPhee: Nocturne for orchestra, by Lepold Stokowski and his orchestra

• 1963 - Copland: ballet Dance Panels, in Munich

• 1992 - John Harbison: Oboe Concerto, with soloist William Bennett and the San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt conducting

Others

• 1721 - J.S. Bach (36) marries his second wife, Anna Magdalena Wülken (20) at Cöthen