Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue / An American In Paris

George Gershwin (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor, Performer), New York Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Leonard Bernstein
• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Columbia Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
• Composer: George Gershwin
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000025MH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,140 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #3 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music > Tone Poems
  • #6 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard > Piano
  • #9 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Concertos > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GLORIOUS!, July 20, 2006

By 

L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (Huntington Beach,CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue / An American In Paris (Audio CD)

This review refers to "Great Performances: Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue/An American In Paris"(CD)

Well, how can you go wrong when Leonard Bernstein, with the help of the Columbia Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, conducts(and performs brilliantly on piano)these two George Gershwin greats.You just can't. Even the quality of the CD is excellent.

Rhapsody will carry you away to some other place for a while. From that very first bluesy note, Bernstein and Orchestra will have you wrapped up in all it's jazzy glory. It's music that defines the word greatness and it's THE song I would pick (if I could only pick one) that exemplifies the masterfulness of American composers.

An American In Paris is wonderful. The feeling of a tourist on the loose in Paris is expertly portrayed through this recording. The highs, the lows and all the delights. I felt a part of it all(and I'm a long way from Paris!)

Now, if you have read any of my other CD reviews, you know that right about here is where I complain ,and sometimes even take a star off of my rating, when a CD is too short(considering how easy it is to get music elsewhere these days). But I have to say, even though the total time on this CD is only about 35 minutes, what a glorious 35 minutes it is.
Rhapsody a wonderful 16:26 and American In Paris a Yummy 18:22.
It's music that never gets old. It stands the test of time, and many repeated playings.

So you may want to keep a copy of this in your car. A great way to start your day. Listen on the way to work, and you'll have that "what? me worry?" attitude. Also fabulous for destressing on the way home from a long days work.It just seems to make everything okay.

As I said the CD has a nice quality. It also has a booklet with some notes on how Gershwin came to compose these songs.

Gershwin performed by Bernstein..it was meant to be!
Enjoy it...Laurie

56 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Performances - Wrong Disc, November 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue / An American In Paris (Audio CD)

These are considered to be among the best performances of both pieces. Berstein's vitality serves well here and is a perfect match for Gershwin's music. However, the Bernstein Century recording with these peices is coupled with Grofe's Grand Canyon at roughly the same price, making it a better deal...

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Version and Good Sound Quality!, June 6, 2006

By 

Frederick Baptist (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue / An American In Paris (Audio CD)

This ADD recording has surprisingly good sound quality for an older recording that hasn't been remastered. The performance by Bernstein and both the Columbia Symphonic and the NY Philharmonic on the pieces is simply breathtaking. You'd be hard pressed to find better interpretations of these Gershwin masterpieces. The only problem with this album is that it's very short and although would have been the perfect length on an lp or cassette as it was originally, it seems to be a waste of cd space here. Sony should probably remaster this and add some tracks like perhaps "Porgy and Bess" to make it a better value proposition. I hope they re-release a remastered version on mini-lp sleeve replica packaging too.