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