The Internet's Premier Classical Music Source
Related Links
- Gershwin Reviews
- Latest Reviews
- More Reviews
-
By Composer
-
Collections
DVD & Blu-ray
Books
Concert Reviews
Articles/Interviews
Software
Audio
Search Amazon
Recommended Links
Site News
Site Search
Follow us on
Affiliates
CD Review
George Gershwin
Complete Music for Piano & Orchestra
- Rhapsody in Blue
- Second Rhapsody
- Variations on "I Got Rhythm"
- Piano Concerto in F
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Justin Brown
Bridge 9252
This is a generous package featuring a fine pianist and one of America's most underrated orchestras. Although conductors like Mata and Litton shaped the Dallas Symphony into a powerhouse, this program finds the orchestra in a more relaxed mood under the capable baton of Justin Brown. Anne-Marie McDermott might not be a household name, but she certainly understands the jazz idiom that this music demands, and the recorded sound is very fine.
However, some might find this disc a little too subdued. If you are accustomed to the original band scoring of the Rhapsodies, you may miss the hard-hitting accents and brassy snap. That said, there are beautiful moments here that make this disc worth owning. The softer moments of this music are wonderfully realized, and the lesser works – the Second Rhapsody, especially – are truly memorable. Certainly, this is preferable to Kunzel on Telarc (a little dull) or Slatkin on Vox (not ideally recorded).
Although Earl Wild or Michael Tilson Thomas on RCA are probably still your top picks, neither of those pianists offer as much music on one disc. As a convenient way to acquire all this music, while also supporting one of the most adventurous labels in the country, this project earns a warm recommendation.
Copyright © 2016, Brian Wigman
