Piano Concerto in F Major

The motivation behind George Gershwin’s complex Piano Concerto in F Major came from a simple impulse, as he explained: “Many persons had thought that the Rhapsody [in Blue] was only a happy accident. Well, I went out, for one thing, to show them that there was plenty more where that had come from.” Following the success of Rhapsody in Blue in 1924, the New York Symphony Society commissioned a new work. In July 1925, Gershwin began composing his Piano Concerto in F Major, his most significant composition yet and the first he orchestrated himself (Ferde Grofé scored the first version of the Rhapsody). The concerto debuted on December 3, 1925, with Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Symphony and Gershwin as soloist. Subsequent performances were given in Washington, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

With the inevitable comparison to Rhapsody in Blue, the F Major Piano Concerto’s reception was somewhat mixed. While some criticized the work as less original than the Rhapsody, other listeners were more positive; one critic proclaimed that Gershwin “alone of all those writing the music of today … expresses us.” Rhythm and “atmosphere” dominate the concerto from the start. As the composer describes the opening Allegro (Energetic), it “employs the Charleston rhythm. It is quick and pulsating, representing the young, enthusiastic spirit of American life.” The ensuing Adagio—Andante con moto (Slow—Walking tempo, with motion) “has a poetic nocturnal atmosphere which has come to be referred to as the American blues, but in a purer form than that in which they [blues] are usually treated.” The concluding Allegro agitato (Agitated energy) is “an orgy of rhythms,” according to Gershwin, “starting violently and keeping the same pace throughout.”

In recent years, David Miller and Kevin Cole have worked with The Gershwin Initiative at the University of Michigan, an entity creating critical editions of all of Gershwin’s compositions. Gershwin often composed quickly, and his music exists in different versions, ultimately making it difficult to determine his original intent. The edition used in this performance features a more prominent solo part, a more significant amount of dissonance, and more complex harmonies than the version more familiar to audiences today.