Fuck Yeah Classical

jasonweinberger:

The A-Train
Gary Kelley, 2009

George Gershwin claimed that he conceived the ‘metropolitan madness’ of Rhapsody in Blue ‘on a train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang.’ That same raw rhythmic inspiration was at the heart of our recent period-orchestra rendition at the WCFSO with pianist Genadi Zagor. The image by Gary Kelley is one of a series commissioned for this concert and shown in a narrative video piece alongside the performance.

Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue with Genadi Zagor
WCFSO - February 2010

Click the arrow on the right side of the audio player to download. If you are reading this somewhere other than my site, here’s the permalink for audio and commenting.

BEAUTIFUL performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. I know we’ve posted this a few times on the site, but since we’re a little low on content, how about some street cred to a fellow tumblr musician!

Jason Weinberger is the music director of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra in Iowa and resident conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. Instead of regurgitating his program biography, which is easily accessed on his blog, I’ll instead tell you why we think you’d love him. 

Not only is he intensely involved in the musical field (and CLASSICAL music field), but he’s also a damn nice guy. He’s done tons of work with youth programs (most importantly for me at least, in Baltimore where adventurous and new youth programs are desperately needed). And he’s done collaborations with current musicians. 

(and for anyone who cares, he’s from my hometown!)

Have fun!

</end of tiny little endorsement>