Colorado Symphony with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G

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Celebrated French Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins the CSO performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. Written after he met Gershwin in America, Ravel’s Piano Concerto delights audiences with its jazzy elements in the first and last movements and its beautiful simplicity in the slow movement. Guest conductor James Gaffigan leads the orchestra in Mozart’s perfectly classical Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.

Ravel's Piano Concerto in G comes out of Paris in 1932, the height of Jazz craze. The influence of George Gershwin is evident. Both of Gershwin's pieces, Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and Piano Concerto in F (1925) showed the ability to take a jazz pianist and combine with a symphony orchestra and create something wholly new.

Maurice Ravel was interested in this new jazz music. When Gershwin requested composition lessons from Ravel, it was Ravel that felt he had something to learn from Gershwin. While the first and third movements typical of the jazz music from the 20's with elements of Mozart in the 2nd movement.

CSO Masterworks
Fri-Sat May 15-16 · 7:30 p.m. Sun May 17 · 2:30 p.m.
James Gaffigan, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Tickets available at TicketMaster

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