Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue & Piano Concerto in F

With this recording of the Rhapsody in Blue and the Concerto in F, Riccardo Chailly blends the classical elegance and sophistication of the Gewandhaus Orchestra with the jazz/blues sensibility of the mercurial Milan-born jazz legend Stefano Bollani.

The Rhapsody was fittingly performed in the jazz-band version (orchestrated by Paul Whiteman), while the Concerto was in Gershwin’s original symphonic orchestration.

Completing the well-filled album (over 73 minutes) are the symphonic suite Catfish Row – derived from Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess – and Gershwin’s earliest significant work, the Broadway-inspired rag Rialto Ripples.