Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

Orchid Classics marks its 100th release with a particularly special album starring some of the most exciting artists of our time: pianist-composer Stewart Goodyear, the Chineke! Orchestra and Wayne Marshall. The release includes world-premiere recordings of Goodyear’s Carnival-inspired Suite for piano and orchestra, named Callaloo in honour of his Trinidadian roots, and his Piano Sonata, an exuberant reflection of Goodyear’s youth. These are heard alongside Gershwin’s magnificent Rhapsody in Blue. Stewart Goodyear has been described as “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is joined by the pioneering Chineke! Orchestra, a vital, vibrant ensemble made up of Europe’s finest Black and Minority Ethnic performers, conducted here by the brilliant conductor, organist and pianist, Wayne Marshall.

An historical album if there is one, with its iconic cover photo. Conducting from the piano in Rhapsody in Blue, Leonard Bernstein manages to capture the lean vigor and impertinence that emanates from the work. He whips up a beefy orchestral contour while subtly jazzy, intensely inspired and romantic in feeling. The dynamic Suite An American in Paris is full of that energy that Bernstein used to know how to distil like no other did. Listen to the orchestra rip into the Charleston. These recordings, from 1958-59, are fabulous, and well worthy of their reference status. The famous West Side Story Symphonic Dances, and the Symphonic Suite "On the Waterfront" complete this album of American music bursting with infectious enthusiasm.