Heavenly. That's the best word I can think of to describe George Gershwin's composition of sheer genius, Rhapsody in Blue. So I would say that last Sunday, I was definitely in heaven.
To celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary, my husband and I went to hear an evening of Gershwin's music performed by our local Marin Symphony. An American in Paris was on the bill, as was Cuban Overture, and a medley from Porgy and Bess; but the shining star was my all-time favorite, Rhapsody in Blue.
When that familiar clarinet glissando started to wail, I was transported to another time and place -- namely, to 1924, to New York City, where Rhapsody was first performed in public. Here's Gershwin himself playing Rhapsody in Blue on the piano; the orchestra is conducted by Paul Whiteman, who commissioned Gershwin to write the piece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QxWxsK8_3s
Much of the inspiration for Rhapsody came to Gershwin during a train trip to Boston. He says, "...with its steely rhythms, its rattley-bang...I suddenly heard -- and even saw on paper -- the complete construction of the rhapsody from beginning to end. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America -- of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness." The actual music was written in a week on his return to New York.
While I was listening to the concert, I rhapsodized about all the reasons this Spirited Woman has to celebrate life. I smiled at my handsome husband, and marveled at the miracle of our meeting ten years ago. I thought about how lucky we are to have good health, interesting career prospects, our friends and family, and the promise of many adventures still to come.
What a great way to celebrate our anniversary -- with a rhapsody not just in blue, but incorporating all the glorious colors of the rainbow!-
Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
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