Rhapsody

If I am ever famous enough to be invited onto Desert Island Discs, two of my choices would be rhapsodies. The first is the Hungarian Rhapsody No2 by Franz Liszt, a piece of music that carries me  into a fantasy land. It is filled with light and shade, love and passion, folk dance and history. It has everything I need to make me spring from the sofa and reel around my living room like a woman possessed. The rhapsody takes me to my happy place and anyone who knows me well, knows that I am happiest when I'm dancing. Thank you Mr Liszt.

Okay, so back to Desert Island Discs. My second choice is the incredible Rhapsody in Blue written by George Gershwin. I probably first encountered the piece while watching the wonderful film An American in Paris,unforgetable because of the wonderful dance perfomed by Gene Kelly and Lesley Caron that was set to the Gershwin. The music tranforms the dance into a sultry love scene. Kelly's strength and Caron's flexibilty as they dance around a Parisian fountain, enthralls me. There is a link here just in case you haven't seen the movie or heard the music.Kelly and Caron - Rhapsody in Blue

George Gershwin was born Jacob Geshwin on 26 September 1898 into a Russian-Jewish/ Lithuanian-Jewish family living in New York. His grandfather, Jakov Gershowitz, was born in Odessa and had served for 25 years as a mechanic for the Imperial Russian Army to earn the right of free travel and residence as a Jew; finally retiring near Saint Petersburg. His teenage son, Moishe Gershowitz, worked as a leather cutter for women's shoes. Moishe Gershowitz met and fell in love with Roza Bruskina, the teenage daughter of a furrier in Vilnius. She and her family moved to New York because of increasing anti-Jewish sentiment in Russia, changing her first name to Rose. Moishe, faced with compulsory military service if he remained in Russia, moved to America as soon as he could afford to. Once in New York, he changed his first name to Morris. Gershowitz lived with a maternal uncle in Brooklyn, working as a foreman in a women's shoe factory. He married Rose on July 21, 1895, and Gershowitz soon Americanized his name to Gershwine. Their first child, Ira Gershwin, was born on December 6, 1896, after which the family moved into a second-floor apartment on Brooklyn's Snediker Avenue.

In 1924, Gershwin composed his first major classical work, Rhapsody in Blue, for orchestra and piano. It was orchestrated by Ferde Grofé and premiered by Paul Whiteman's Concert Band, in New York. It subsequently went on to be his most popular work, and established Gershwin's signature style and genius in blending vastly different musical styles in revolutionary ways.

Here's on you may recognise;

Russian Rhapsody

I intend to rule forever,

no one else will ever reign,

over my beloved Russia

Vladimir Putin is my name.

There is some opposition

led by Alexei Navalny

I neutralised his power,

put nerve agent in his tea.

I am the great composer

of the Russian Rhapsody,

I’ll keep you dancing to my tune

I’ll orchestrate your way.

I dispatched Litvinenko

I poisoned spy Skripal,

Novichok on doorknobs,

no blame can fall on me. 

. 

I am President of Russia,

ruthless with no shame,

remember if you vex me,

Vladimir Putin is my name.      


Thanks for reading.  Adele