Rhapsody in Blue - Westside Story
Release : April 28, 2011
“I see fireworks when those girls play!”
The words of Ira Gershwin upon hearing Katia and Marielle Labèque's ground-breaking recording of his brother George's Rhapsody in Blue. The 1981 Philips disc of the original two-piano arrangement of the orchestral masterpiece was a world premiere and gold-record sensation - a first for Philips Classics in France - and launched the Labèque sisters's American career. But only after Ira's then assistant, Michael Feinstein, fished out a pre-promotional copy of the record from their heap of mail and brought it to Ira's attention.
Now, thirty years on, in a new KML recording, one can relive Michael and Ira's amazement at what they heard. The springiness, sexiness, noisiness and nobility of Gershwin's riotous masterpiece, jazz and classical styles jiving together as if they had never been been born apart, is summoned up in quintessential Labèque style. It was a style that reminded Ira so much of his brother's playing that he invited them to Los Angeles and insisted that they inaugurate the Gershwin collection at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on Ira and George's own pianos playing the Rhapsody. Gershwin-playing doesn't get more authentic than this.
Joining it is another rhythmic firecracker of a work, Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, arranged for two pianos and percussion by the musical's original orchestrator, Irwin Kostal. Latino colour and capering dominate this spirited retelling of the classic American love story. But what is also able to come out in this intimate chamber arrangement is the Labèques celebrated tenderness of touch.
ARTISTS
Katia Labèque piano
Marielle Labèque piano
FEATURED ON WEST SIDE STORY
Gonzalo Grau percussion
Raphaël Séguinier drums
Pablo Bencid timbales on track 6
TRACKLIST
GERSHWIN George
1. Rhapsody in Blue (15mn)
BERNSTEIN Leonard
West Side Story
2. Prologue (4mn 14s)
3. Jet Song (1mn 54s)
4. Something's Coming (2mn 21s)
5. Rock Blues (1mn 52s)
6. Mambo (2mn 26s)
7. Cha Cha (1mn 53s)
8. Maria (3mn 13s)
9. America (2mn 32s)
10. Cool (4mn)
11. I Feel Pretty (1mn 03s)
12. One Hand, One Heart (2mn)
13. Tonight (2mn 39s)
14. Somewhere (3mn 04s)
15. A Boy Like That (2mn 19s)
16. I Have a Love (3mn 20s)
17. The Rumble (1mn 22s)
18. Finale (2mn 51s)
CREDITS
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Artistic producers : Katia & Marielle Labèque
Recorded : Ferran Conangla and Enric Giné in Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes, Valladolid
Mixed & mastered : David Chalmin @ Studio K
WEST SIDE STORY
Artistic Direction: David Chalmin and Gonzalo Grau
Recorded and mixed : David Chalmin @ Studio K
Executive Producers : Katia & Marielle Labèque
Photos : Umberto Nicoletti
Artwork and sleeve design : Roberto Calbucci
Pianos : Steinway model D
Tuner : Michel Brandjes
