Mick LaSalle asks what current works will be seen as emblematic of our era. Ok, apparently the just released film Speed Racer won't be it. He also suggests that Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue took awhile to settle in to its current benign esteem:
The above clip, a shortened version of the piece from the 1930 movie THE KING OF JAZZ, is especially interesting, because it shows how people saw RHAPSODY IN BLUE in its time -- not as romantic as we see it, more decadent, more snappy, more arch. It's worth checking out.
Check out the YouTube clip from his post, if for no better reasons than seeing a giant piano, a surprise entrance by the orchestra, and a horn section that shows little body movement.
Speaking of non-romanticism, I still enjoy the Eugenie Russo piano performance of Copland's El Salon Mexico, shorn of the original's orchestral cushioning.
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