BEETHOVEN AND GERSHWIN: FROM VIENNA TO NEW YORK

State Philharmonic Orchestra Košice
John FIORE , conductor
Olga SCHEPS , piano

Programme:

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring, orchestral suite 27´
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue 18'
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 42´

The most iconic of all was the last of these, Appalachian Spring. An idealized portrait of rural life in early nineteenth-century Pennsylvania, it premiered in Washington in October 1944. The ballet was created in collaboration with choreographer Martha Graham. Appalachian Spring is one of Copland's best-known works, and the score, originally scored for a thirteen-piece chamber orchestra, was arranged for orchestra in 1945.

Rhapsody in Blue, written for solo piano and jazz band, combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. George Gershwin wrote the piece at the request of bandleader Paul Whiteman. Whiteman's arranger Ferde Grofé subsequently arranged the piece as a symphonic score in 1942. Rhapsody is one of Gershwin's best-known compositions and a composition that defined the so-called Jazz Age. It has become one of the most popular concertante works.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 is often associated with a program. In fact, this piece represents a departure from the programmatic poetic idea, although it has distant echoes of the ancient world. The work begins with a long introduction in a dreamy mood, while the main theme is based on a pulsating rhythm in a joyful atmosphere. The second movement consists of a majestic and solemn theme with variations, followed by a carefree scherzo in lively three-quarter time. The climax is the dance-like and stormy final movement, full of demonstrative, ecstatic gaiety.