Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (CD review)

Also, An American in Paris; Porgy and Bess suite; Gould: Latin-American Symphonette. Leonard Pennario, piano; Felix Slatkin, Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. EMI 50999 6 06691 4.

First, a word about available recordings. While these re-released EMI performances have been around for quite some time and have established a strong following, I would not deem them first-choice recommendations in any of the works involved. For top honors, I would still consider Bernstein (Sony), Fiedler (RCA), Previn (EMI and Philips), and Tilson Thomas (Sony and RCA) the leading exponents of this music. That said, maestro Felix Slatkin, pianist Leonard Pennario, and the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra do considerable justice to the music of George Gershwin (1898-1937) and Morton Gould (1913-1996).

Things begin with Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (1924), orchestrated by Ferde Grofe, a performance fluid, suave, polished, and certainly not lacking in energy. The reading comes off as a cross between a full orchestral treatment and smaller, jazz-band arrangement (Gershwin having originally composed it for Paul Whiteman's "symphonic" jazz orchestra). So expect a few jazzy flourishes along the way. Although Pennario doesn't seem entirely attuned to the soul of jazz, he acquits himself well enough.

Next is Gershwin's An American in Paris (1928), orchestrated by Gershwin himself. It is, of course, a descriptive tone poem portraying an American visitor to Paris in the Twenties strolling about and taking in the sights and sounds of the city. Perhaps because of the more colorful nature of the score, I found Slatkin's interpretation a bit more persuasive than in the Rhapsody.

After that we have the famous suite (1942) from Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess (1935), arranged by Robert Russell Bennett as a "Symphonic Picture." Again, maybe because of the characteristics of the music and Slatkin's affinity for it, I found this suite most effective of all, especially the more-languid interludes. "Summertime" never sounded better.

Complementing the Gershwin tunes, we have Gould's Latin-American Symphonette (1940), also a suite, this one comprised of a Rhumba, a Tango, a Guaracha, and a Conga. They, too, display high good spirits, although, frankly, none of these readings drew me to them the way those of the other conductors mentioned above do.

The recordings, newly reissued by EMI in 2010, derive from dates in the late Sixties. The booklet insert says that EMI first published the Rhapsody in 1967 but further notes that the other works have "unknown" recording dates and locations. Interestingly, EMI identify the ensemble as the "Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra" even though the orchestra didn't go by that name at the time; it had disbanded years before and the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed the summertime Bowl concerts, with today's Hollywood Bowl Orchestra formed in 1990.

Be that as it may, the sound in the Gershwin numbers is a tad bright and forward in the upper midrange, with a big, thumping bass. It makes for an impressive effect, if not always too realistic, being a little too thin in the middle frequencies and upper bass, with a somewhat hard-edged response overall. Making up for any shortcomings are a wide stereo spread, a respectable depth of field, a strong presence, and plenty of air around the instruments. The Gould piece, on the other hand, is smoother, richer, and fuller, sounding much more natural in the process.

A final note: The disc contains almost eighty minutes of music, about the limit of a CD. To put that into perspective, it's the equivalent of four full sides of LP content. You can't say you don't get your money's worth.

JJP