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An American in Paris

for orchestra
arranged by Frank Campbell-Watson
Orchestra
Edition: Performance material

Product Details

Description

It may not seem obvious at first to associate the term “symphonic poem” with the American composer George Gershwin, but it is possible to discover an explicitly narrative level beneath the rousing rhythms and tonal colours of his An American in Paris. Gershwin describes his impressions of the city in which he had attempted to enrol in a college which would permit him to study with Nadia Boulanger and Maurice Ravel. His intense fascination with the French capital is also tinged with the emotions of personal setbacks and homesickness for New York: “My purpose here is to portray the impressions of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city, listens to the various street noises, and absorbs the French atmosphere. Our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a café, and having a few drinks, has suddenly succumbed to a spasm of homesickness. Apparently the homesick American, having left the café and reached the open air, has downed his spell of the blues and once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life. At the conclusion, the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant.”
Gershwin had made his own orchestration for An American in Paris in contrast to his other stage works. A special feature of his orchestration for the first performance was the inclusion of four taxi horns which he had specially brought over from Paris for this purpose.
Frank Campbell-Watson was able to retouch a few errors in instrumentation (such as some impractical changes of instruments) in his revised edition from the 1940’s.

Orchestral Cast

3(3.pic).2.ca.2.bcl.asax.tsax.barsax.2-4.3.3.1-timp.3perc(s.d, b.d, tri, glsp, xyl, sus cym, wdbl, taxi horn, tom-t)-cel-str

More Information

Title:
An American in Paris
for orchestra
arranged by Frank Campbell-Watson
Edition:
Performance material
Publisher/Label:
Gershwin Music
Year of composition:
1928
Duration:
16 ′
World Premiere:
December 13, 1928 · New York, NY (USA)
Carnegie Hall
Conductor: Walter Damrosch · Philharmonic Society of New York

Series:

Technical Details

Product number:
LSMC 20250-01
Delivery rights:
Worldwide

Preview/Media Contents

Audio:
Video:

Performances

Set Ascending Direction
  • An American in Paris
    Conductor: Daniel Geiss
    Orchestra: Neubrandenburger Philharmonie
    June 9, 2024 | Neustrelitz (Germany) , Landestheater
  • An American in Paris
    Conductor: Daniel Geiss
    Orchestra: Neubrandenburger Philharmonie
    June 7, 2024 | Güstrow (Germany) , Ernst-Barlach-Theater
  • An American in Paris
    Conductor: Daniel Geiss
    Orchestra: Neubrandenburger Philharmonie
    June 6, 2024 | Neubrandenburg (Germany) , Konzertkirche
  • An American in Paris
    Conductor: Daniel Geiss
    Orchestra: Neubrandenburger Philharmonie
    June 6, 2024 | Neubrandenburg (Germany) , Konzertkirche
  • An American in Paris
    Conductor: Yang Yang
    Orchestra: Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra
    April 24, 2024 | Hangzhou (China) , Grand Theatre
  • Set Ascending Direction

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