George GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
Piano Concerto in F [33:54]
Rhapsody No 2 [15:53]
Variations on ‘I Got Rhythm’ [8:49]
Orion Weiss (piano)
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/JoAnn Falletta
rec. 17-20 November, 2010, Kleinhans Concert Hall, Buffalo, New York, USA
NAXOS 8.559705 [58:35]
My colleague John
Whitmore summed up this interpretation of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto
well: it views the piece as a serious classical concerto with expressive merit
and a vibrantly jazzy bent, rather than a series of riffs with orchestral
accompaniment. Orion Weiss doesn’t noodle around with the solo part,
and the Buffalo Philharmonic doesn’t pretend to be a jazz band: the
result is not sober, or strait-laced, but it is an argument that Gershwin
wrote really solidly built classical works. Maybe some day we won’t
need to have that argument.
Weiss is a pianist I’d never heard of, but between his playing here
and his absurdly silly website,
I find him very easy to like. He mostly plays the music straight, except for
a bit of teasing in his very first bars and the occasional confident strut
thereafter. The tunes roll off the piano with unaffected charm and lyrical
shape; Weiss’s entrance in the adagio is so perfectly done it gives
me chills. The Buffalo Philharmonic, under JoAnn Falletta, are his equals,
and the partnership is a truly inspired one with a real sense of synergy (try
the first movement at 10:18). The orchestral players often steal the show,
in fact, as when the strings surge in at 8:30 in the adagio and slip back
tenderly forward at 10:18, or in the exquisite woodwind solos which end the
movement. The finale is ever-so-slightly lacking in fire compared to Jon Nakamatsu,
who recently recorded this concerto for harmonia mundi only 75 miles to the
east, with the Rochester Philharmonic. It makes sense in the context of the
Weiss-Falletta conception of the work, though, and you’re not going
to get me to choose between the two outstanding recordings anytime soon.
Next up is the Rhapsody No 2, a sequel to the one in ‘blue’ which
somehow never quite caught on despite chipper tunes, colorful orchestral outbursts
like the one near the beginning, and a percussive piano part which reminds
us that it was originally to be the Rhapsody in Rivets. I’m sad
Gershwin ducked out of that (much better) title. I’m glad that such
a glittery performance (listen to the trumpets from 1:50-2:10!) is delivered
here, Weiss and the Buffalo players matching each other’s incredible
enthusiasm. This rhapsody isn’t on its predecessor’s level - the
swooning violin tune, with its luxurious portamenti, has nothing on the tune
in Blue - but it’s still more of a delight than its obscurity
suggests, and Gershwin’s rather childlike excitement with the possibilities
of orchestral music is matched by the glee with which these players take care
of the piece.
The disc concludes with the delightful “I Got Rhythm” Variations,
and again the orchestra enters into the Gershwin with spirited playing. I
do have some concerns about Orion Weiss here, though, particularly his statement
of the theme, which is laden with tiny dynamic and rhythmic adjustments. Lincoln
Mayorga, on harmonia mundi, shows this music can still be bubbly fun without
the finicky teasing. Still, after ninety seconds everybody’s too busy
having a good time for me to keep being critical. The whole CD gets a big
boost from vividly colorful sound, although as John Whitmore notes, the impressive
capturing of the piano - how flattering to its full-bodied tone! - does place
the instrument quite far forward in the balance, almost like you are sitting
on it with the orchestra around you. This is no great obstacle to a recommendation.
According to an old news bulletin on Naxos’ website, these recording
sessions also included the Rhapsody in Blue. I’m not sure why
the Rhapsody in Blue is absent here if they set it down at the same
time as these three works, but let’s hope it means Weiss, Falletta,
and Co. will be returning very soon with a second volume. Weiss can lay down
the piano solo in Catfish Row and they could round things out with
An American in Paris, the Cuban Overture, and/or the string
orchestra version of Lullaby. Judging from the extremely high quality
of this effort, that would be a treat!
Brian Reinhart
A real treat of a performance, even for those who have their Previn and their
Wild.
see also review by John Whitmore