About the composition:
An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced symphon… Read Full Bio ↴About the composition:
An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced symphonic poem by the American composer George Gershwin, written in 1928. Inspired by the time Gershwin had spent in Paris, it evokes the sights and energy of the French capital in the 1920s and is one of his best-known compositions.
Gershwin composed An American in Paris on commission from the conductor Walter Damrosch. He scored the piece for the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra plus celesta, saxophones, and automobile horns. He brought back some Parisian taxi horns for the New York premiere of the composition, which took place on December 13, 1928 in Carnegie Hall, with Damrosch conducting the New York Philharmonic. Gershwin completed the orchestration on November 18, less than four weeks before the work's premiere.
Gershwin collaborated on the original program notes with the critic and composer Deems Taylor, noting that:
"My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere."
When the tone poem moves into the blues, "our American friend ... has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness." But, "nostalgia is not a fatal disease." The American visitor "once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life" and "the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."
An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced symphon… Read Full Bio ↴About the composition:
An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced symphonic poem by the American composer George Gershwin, written in 1928. Inspired by the time Gershwin had spent in Paris, it evokes the sights and energy of the French capital in the 1920s and is one of his best-known compositions.
Gershwin composed An American in Paris on commission from the conductor Walter Damrosch. He scored the piece for the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra plus celesta, saxophones, and automobile horns. He brought back some Parisian taxi horns for the New York premiere of the composition, which took place on December 13, 1928 in Carnegie Hall, with Damrosch conducting the New York Philharmonic. Gershwin completed the orchestration on November 18, less than four weeks before the work's premiere.
Gershwin collaborated on the original program notes with the critic and composer Deems Taylor, noting that:
"My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere."
When the tone poem moves into the blues, "our American friend ... has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness." But, "nostalgia is not a fatal disease." The American visitor "once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life" and "the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."
An American in Paris
George Gershwin Lyrics
Instrumental
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Dylonely
I can not even describe how much I love this.
Deadly Cookie
Hi-hi-hi-ha
Alvaro García
I love this orchestra conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Though it can be observed many changes in the musicians, quality of interpretation never varies. Happy to find Clara at her flute. The brass with saxo sounds great. Trumpet magnificent. Strings as well. Thank you to HR FRANKFURT to allow us to enjoy the best performances.
David de Felice
Fantastic work by the director of the filming of this piece to time the right camera shots to key moments and the musicians performing them; the trumpet, glockenspiel, Celesta, violin, flutes - even the small snare part and the crash of the cymbals, not to mention the director of the orchestra. Wonderful! Thank you for posting this (especially without ads).
Julie Andrews
A European orchestra performs an American composer in such a wonderful way! Superb! Bravo!
Marcos Chrispim
Gershin was phenomenal and so are the interpreters!
Martin Guillermo Vadillo Garcia
¡Magnífica Orquesta! ¡Great result for a team congratulations Andrés Orozco!
Liam Webb
8:29 one of my fav trumpet solos
Dylonely
Me too
Leo Arrabi
I never really listened to Gershwin, after this performance he is in my mind.