CD REVIEW
– MANHATTAN
TO MONTMARTRE
GERSHWIN and BERNSTEIN
JULIAN JACOBSON, MARIKO BROWN
piano duo
Somm SOMMCD 0635
[72:30]
'
Recorded in August
2020, this is another
non-orchestral release possibly
brought about by the Covid
lockdown – and another
successful foray into our kind of
music for the enterprising
award-winning Somm label.
It would be
surprising if there were more
than a very few of those reading
this for whom the music is
unfamiliar. To begin: just under
22 minutes are devoted to the
brilliant Symphonic Dances
from 'West Side Story'. The
version here is for two pianos
made by the American composer and
pianist John Musto in 1998.
Leonard Bernstein's score is such
that it can be appreciated in any
instrumental form. I am struck
once again by what a beautiful
tune Somewhere is.
The three works
from the pen of George Gershwin
– he died in 1937 aged only
38 – are all arranged for
four hands on one piano.
Best-known is Rhapsody in
Blue, which uses a
transcription made by the
musician Henry Levine in 1943. It
is fascinating to learn from
Robert Matthew-Walker's booklet
notes that the European premiere
of the work was in Paris in 1928
played by the Russian-born
Dimitri Tiomkin. He was, of
course, to become a major
composer of film music ('It's a
Wonderful Life', 'High Noon',
'The Alamo', 'Friendly
Persuasion', 'The Guns of
Navarone' and 'The High and the
Mighty', et al).
The two remaining
Gershwin classics were
transcribed by Julian Jacobson in
2014 and 2016 respectively and
are receiving their first
recordings here. Although less
well-known, Second Rhapsody
was considered by the composer to
be the finest thing he had
written. And he described An
American in Paris as
"the most modern music
I’ve attempted". There
is sparkling pianism through the
whole disc.
The piano duo of
Jacobson and Brown was formed in
2011. As well as their
performances in London and around
the country they have appeared
regularly in France including
Paris. Julian is a Professor at
the Royal College of Music and
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire,
and Mariko has been Musical
Director for productions in
London and Suffolk as well as a
teacher, currently at the Yehudi
Menuhin School.
Of interest to
piano playing readers: the
instruments used are the Steinway
Model D (Julian) and Fazioli F278
(Mariko) for the Bernstein, with
the Italian model for the
Gershwin.
This album has
been a constant in my CD player
since I received it for review
and is a 5-star recommendation.
© Peter
Burt 2021
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