Gershwin - An American in Paris, Porgy and Bess Suite, Cuban Ouverture / Roberta Alexander, Gregg Baker / New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta / Teldec Audio CD 1991 Stereo / 4509-97444-2

UPC 745099744427

An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital in the Années folles.

Walter Damrosch had asked Gershwin to write a full concerto following the success of Rhapsody in Blue (1924). Gershwin scored the piece for the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra plus celesta, saxophones, and automobile horns. He brought back four 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. He completed the orchestration on November 18, less than four weeks before the work's premiere.^[4] He collaborated on the original program notes with critic and composer Deems Taylor.

Tracklist:

Selections from ''Porgy and Bess''

1.  Introduction And Summertime   3:24

2.  A Woman Is A Sometime Thing   1:48

3.  Overflow   1:47

4.  Since | Lose My Man   4:14

5.  The Promise’ Lan’   1:44

6.  I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’    2:43

7.  Bess, You Is My Woman Now   5:26

8.  O, I Can‘t Sit Down   1:43

9.  It Ain’t Necessarily So   3:04

10. There’s A Boat Dat's Leavin’ soon For New York   3:33

11. O, Lawd I’m On My Way   1:37

12. An American In Paris   18:43

13. Cuban Overture   10:26

• Soprano - Roberta Alexander
• Baritone - Gregg Baker
• Orchestra - New York Philharmonic