George Gershwin has the distinction of being one of the most prominent compositional voices represented in early Broadway’s output, as well as the author of numerous songs and orchestral pieces that have become warhorses in the standard performance repertory.   A virtuoso pianist himself, Gershwin’s works for piano and orchestra are archetypical of his idiom as well as of his excellent balance and interplay between soloist and orchestra.   In this volume, Joshua Pierce presents these four works with great artistic integrity and dedication accompanied by the remarkably supportive Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kirk Trevor.

The album begins with the Second Rhapsody, composed in 1931 for a very specific milieu, depicting the effect that Manhattan has upon arriving immigrants (originally to be used in a film to that effect entitled Delicious in which one such immigrant was a concert pianist who would perform the work).   The film proved contrary to its title because it, in a word, flopped (indeed disappearing in the modern day) and the score was plundered and triaged for various other uses.   The concerto was salvaged and placed in a free-standing concert setting and was premièred in Boston and New York under Sergei Koussevitzky with Gershwin himself at the piano.  Though far less known than its older sibling Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin considered it to be a compositional advancement from a harmonic perspective, and it seems to be eclipsed in performance by the original Rhapsody only by convention rather than a lesser merit.

Perhaps purposely ordered to reflect their musical equanimity, Rhapsody in Blue follows the Second Rhapsody, successfully contrasting the two works, the former heard in an intriguingly edified manner when preceded by the style of the latter.   Pierce performs the familiar favorite with an unyielding purpose and direction that continually illuminates his performance.   The orchestra does remarkably well in supporting Pierce, mastering the “blue” style Gershwin seeks from the infamous clarinet glissando to the final cadence.   Although perhaps not the most elastic interpretation of the work, Pierce is undeniably effective in conveying the thematic elements that are so rife in Gershwin’s writing.

Following is the Concerto in F, written one year after Rhapsody in Blue for the New York Symphony Society (which eventually became the New York Philharmonic Society).   Of particular interest and renown in the piece is the well-crafted interplay between piano and orchestra, meticulously studied by Gershwin in a sequestered summer in upstate New York in reaction to criticism he received the previous year that he was an amateur composer for not having done his own orchestrations.   Pierce masterfully presents the individuality of the work, abundant with rhythmic and motivic complexity in contrast to the preceding two rhapsodies, with dedicated, informed detail.

The CD concludes with Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm Variations, a set of variations on the infamous jazz song, “I Got Rhythm.”   Composed as a virtuoso showpiece for Gershwin to feature himself in his beloved spirit of improvisation, the variations wander quite distantly from the feeling of the original song, taking on foreign keys and modalities, even toying with Oriental allusions and dissonance.   As is so critical with theme and variation compositions, Pierce masterfully structures his performance to go right along with the variations, deluding the audience into musically distant territory as well as jovially welcoming it back to reality as the theme returns.

This collection of piano works is beautifully presented, and Pierce’s performances faithfully represent the musical ingenuity of this distinctly American composer.   The CD liner notes contain biographical information on George Gershwin as well as background and historical context for each of the pieces, including detailed analytical information.   Pierce addresses the reader numerous times with personal asides, offset by italics, incorporating his personal take on preparation and score study.   The notes conclude with brief biographical entries for Joshua Pierce and Kirk Trevor.

©2009 Robert Myers