- This work for piano and orchestra is also known as Gershwin’s “Second Rhapsody” (following the one In Blue, of course). In its original iteration as part of a film score, it was called “Rhapsody in Rivets”1 or “Manhattan Rhapsody.”2
- Gershwin wrote “Rhapsody in Rivets” as a sequence for the film Delicious. In this sequence (watch it here on YouTube), the film’s heroine, an immigrant, has an overwhelming wander in the streets of Manhattan.
- Film buffs: this is a fascinating Expressionist sequence reminiscent of Metropolis. Be sure to check it out.
- Gershwin played the work’s concert premiere with the Boston Symphony under Serge Koussevitsky on January 29, 1932.3
Sources
- “Second Rhapsody,” Gershwin.com, accessed November 30, 2021, http://gershwin.com/publications/second-rhapsody/.
- Richard Crawford and Wayne J. Schneider, “Gershwin, George,” Grove Music Online (October 16, 2013), accessed November 30, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002252861.
- “Second Rhapsody,” Gershwin.com.
Cut IDs
43026