Funny because the soaring clarinet intro was actually not in the original written piece but was a warmup from the clarinetist and it was just so good that they kept it through time!
I am interpreting it as extreme admiration to the great ability of the pianist. And look how that lady on his left side stared at him. She was simply carried away.
I sensed annoyance at the extreme over improvisation. Maybe the conductor asked him to change tempo and dynamics a lot but it kind of dragged at some points. A great performance but the pianist greatly strayed from the pacing and tone of the original.
As is proper! Very few clarinetists get to play this, and far fewer get to play the solo. I got lucky and got to perform the solo at a regional concert, and that's easily one of the highlights of my musical career. Brilliant performance! Personally feel it could have used more vibrato from the embouchure, but that's 100% personal preference.
Just for the record in longevity: Today it's June the 1st 2020, there is a pandemic going on in the world, it's 22:59 pm and I'm listening to one of the greatest pieces of music ever written by humanity.
It is truly amazing and even more so when you read the history of the composer and his composition. I do not often reference Wikipedia but they do offer a good account, I recommend that you read it if interested. My best to you and yours during these trying times. GR
I’ve listened to Rhapsody in Blue all my 70 years. I’ve heard numerous renditions from a variety of orchestras and other performers, but I’ve never heard and watched such astounding brilliance exhibited here by the pianist, conductor and those other youthful and talented musicians of the Royal Academy of Music. . . Agreed! The spirit of George Gershwin is alive and well in these talented musicians. BRAVO!
I first really noticed Rhapsody in Blue when I was working for United Airlines, and they used it for their commercials. Gershwin’s piece seemed absolutely perfect in marrying the buzz of Manhattan with the exuberance of travel. However, only after seeing this amazing performance with the young peoples’ expressions of determination mixed with joy… only after viewing this (over and over and over) could I really, clearly, and deeply feel the diversity of each instrument, the complexity needed to produce such glorious sound, and the genius of Gershwin. I will NEVER again hear Rhapsody in Blue without remembering the extreme talent Adrian Brendle and all of these young people brought to this triumphant performance. Overwhelming!
I enjoyed listening to Rhapsody in Blue on my family's phonograph as a young boy in the 1940's. Today, I'm lucky to not only listen but also to watch a beautiful performance. It's exciting!
@@jnstonbely5215 It's a grand American tradition to not play things exactly as written if it sounds good, and I can't fault a single thing this clarinetist played.
Now, in July of '22, STILL the absolute best rendition of Gershwin's "Rhapsody" I have ever heard! Thank you Royal Academy of Music yet again for your Magnificent work!
Even though trumpets are the superior instrument I do love the beginning of this. Of course when the trumpet comes in with his solo he wipes the floor clean, 🥰
@@ninamatthews8747 My best friend plays trumpet! We're in our mid 30's now but I'll never forget when somebody accidentally hit her trumpet in 7th grade while she was playing. She had braces at the time... She still kept first chair though!
I've never had an answer to what my favorite song is. It dawned on me today that Rhapsody has to be it. It is American music history past, present and future distilled into 17 minutes of pure joy.
The cinematography was outstanding. It caught the orchestra perfectly in all the right moments, including a shot where all the players seem to sway in unison. Sight and sound were thrilling all around!
I played a recording of Rhapsody at my late wife's funeral. Rita once told me one of the schools she went to as a child growing up in NYC was a school name, George Gershwin. So as a tribute to her I played a recording of Gershwin's most iconic piece of New York. RIP Rita.
OUTSTANDING! The most incredible piece of American music ever written (in my opinion) and this beautiful orchestra did a phenominal job! Absolutely got chills! BRAVO!
You ever listen to a piece of music so beautiful , so perfect, it brings a tear to your eyes, and puts a ball in your throat?.. Like looking at the Mona Lisa, only painting its soundscape in your ears.... This is one of them! And the impeccable performance , is a thing of wonder. Such a masterpiece, Such a performance!! Top Shelf!!
Thank you for this wonderful rendition of Gershwin's famous piece of music. I have listened to it at least 6 times in the last year, and plan to listen to it at least 6 times a year, until I am no more on this world !!!
@@acohen3951 Right you are! When I was a child, I'd pretend to be the pianist pounding out the tune on the side of my bed. Then years later we saw Leonard Bernstein on tour as a conductor. His encore was this amazing composition. Sigh = one of the perks of living in a huge college town and having a sister who took us to everything!
I am nearly 60 years old and when I heard this rendition, it brought me to tears. This is one of the most beautiful and expressive presentations of this song I think I've ever heard. Absolutely magnificent. Each musician putting a small piece of himself into the music culminated in a work of art. Certainly, this is what music in Heaven sounds like!
He's got very good style and unique interpretation- good jazz characterization. Just wish he'd accel. on the trills but it doesn't detract from an excellent rendition.
Whenever I feel down about humanity in general, I get literally blown away by so many musicians playing in perfect unison. Qudos to the person who arranged this absolute masterpiece. Humans arent that bad when they can do this.
So proud of these young people. My music teacher played this for us when I was in 6th grade, in 1968. It changed my life. These young people are still changing other lives.
(In my humble opinion) The best rendition thus far. The clarinetist nailed it (and most likely enjoyed it). The memory of the pianist was impressive while the 3 violinists facial expressions as they watched him play made me chuckle. Good job.
Absolutely beautiful, i am 83 yrs of age, heard this as a child, my parents always enjoyed music, all the classics..has always been one of my favorites. It is so wonderful to see young men and women with such talent to play a difficult piece so flawlessly. (Enjoyed the expressions on the violinists faces as they watched the pianist play so beautifully.) Brought Such enjoyment to my heart. Thank you for proving to the world that fine musicians still exist.
We attended a performance at the Sydney Opera House (Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the refurbished Concert Hall) a couple of weeks ago. That really would take some beating! Superb!
My favourite piece of music played so brilliantly by the orchestra and special mention to the fantastic pianist. I too thought that the audience should have given them a standing ovation at the end, I would certainly have done so had I been there - just an awesome performance!
Killer, for me: watching the violinist in the upper right hand corner when the pianist is doing his thing. This guy is so so into it....almost like he's one in spirit with the pianist! LOVE IT!
All kidding aside, I have NEVER heard a better performance of this piece and I've been listening to this since I was around 6; which BTW was 50 years ago!
After just 30 seconds of clarinet, everyone's thinking "Oh... this IS going to be an amazing performance'... And then after 15+ minutes and the pianist hasn't even got a bead of sweat!?! He, all of them and this piece are VERY finely composed, indeed! Stunningly well played. Thank you kindly for posting!
As an American who has listened to this piece by different orchestra's for 35 years, these people did as flawless a job as I have ever heard. Usually SOMEBODY does a stilted or overly fast part SOMEWHERE in the piece, but they were excellent and the pianist was seemingly flawless.
Having listened to this wonderful work of art a countless number of times in my life, and after having watched the documentary 'Discovering Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin' on BBC-Four tonight (18 Nov 2018) I decided to once more listen to this concert on RU-vid. I was lucky to come accross this Royal Academy of Music video of which I want to make my compliments for the outstanding rendition of the work performed by Adrian Brendle and the fantastic Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and it's conductor. I am absolutely thrilled !
I've loved this piece since Grandmother took myself and her grandson to see Fantasia II, IMAX Swope Park in 1997. Not sure about my family but I was mesmerized.
Magnificent performance, they know they are making musical history just by the looks on their faces, also a moment of silence to the piano that was just beaten to death.
The most splendid and spirited version ever. This My favorite classical piece....has no difinitive version.. It was presented to Whiteman. Unfinished.. Gershwin presented many more versions in the years to come. Thanks for the post . !!! The piano player is spectacular..
Actually, not quite correct. It was commissioned by Paul Whiteman in 1924 and scored by Whiteman's pianist, Ferde Grofe, for Whiteman's enlarged jazz band. (The Berliner Phil have a great performance of that version on line, but only accessible by subscription.). At that time Gershwin's orchestration skills (later developed with some study under Ravel ─ Ravel refusing to teach him composition, stating he wanted to hear a first rate Gershwin not a second rate Ravel) weren't yet adequate. [Gershwin certainly made up for that later, as with the Concerto in F; American in Paris]. Grofe subsequently expanded the orchestration twice, in 1926 then in 1942 using progressively larger forces. The 1926 version is rarely played. Too many modern performances forget the jazz roots ─ not quite so here (especially the clarinetist).
So I’m laying here in bed listening to this in my headphones and every so often I realize that I have stopped breathing because the sound of my own breaths was taking away from the splendor of this masterpiece.
Whenever I see a video for this piece, I instantly view it. My love for Gershwin is limitless. I enjoy every interpretation of Rhapsody, and this is one of the best.
To this day and until the day I die, this remains my favorite song of my life. This masterpiece is the reason I'm primarily a pianist. It represents the way I see life, experience life, and live myself with that experience. I first heard Rhapsody in Blue from Fantasia 2000 when I was 5 years old and it immediately made me want to play it throughout my entire childhood up until high school, when I was a senior and I played it for the first time in a recital. Thank you God for sending George Gershwin to give me talent!
This was so "effing" beautiful it made me cry. I've never seen anything so beautiful. Listened to it again just to see if it moved me as much and it did. Just off the hook...so beautiful
That's great, keep on exploring music there s a great deal to enjoy. One small point, it's a composition not a song. A "song" is something you "sing". That's the meaning of the word despite current misuse. Sorry to be pedantic
I have never heard such a brilliant performance of this American Classic! The pianist who had it all memorised was absolutely brilliant but so were all the members of the orchestra. It was great to see and hear so many accomplished yet young performers, it really gives me heart as to the direction that music is going. Thank you one and all, you were fabulous!
Not amongst us....but.... sad but true--- there ARE tone-deaf people out there. Either tone deaf, or maybe their parents / grandparents didn't teach them the difference between RHAP and C-RAP
Beautifully done! I've been enjoying RIB this since I was a 10 y.o. New Yorker. 50 years later and after hearing so many renditions of it, I can say this is one of the best--so many details are technically right and well-expressed. Bravo to the conductor and best wishes to these students! May they have great careers ahead.
I love like every musician is young, hella cute and amazingly talented in this vid! One of the best versions of Rhapsody in Blue ever, Thank You so very much dear Royal Academy of Music for this absolute excellence 🥰
Ridiculously amazing. I’ve heard this played a thousand times and this is now my favorite. What an incredibly talented group of young individuals. The interpretation of all of the soloists, especially the pianist, is out of this world. I will be watching this again many many more times. Thank you!
I'm sitting here at my desk remembering back when I was about 10 years old watching the movie. I was so emotional as it was playing, and I didn't understand why. Now I'm 88 years old and I do understand why. Thank You Lord, for making wonderful music a part of our life. Thank You for raising up such talented musicians for us to enjoy.
@@rossscanio2745 You can hear precisely what the composer intended if you listen to his record. But this one is great. And I’ve been enjoy Khatia’s version a lot.
