When George Gershwin met Maurice Ravel in New York in 1928, he asked about studying with the French composer.
Ravel reportedly replied, 'Why would you want to be a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?'
The story may be apocryphal, but after Ravel's American tour and Gershwin’s visit to Paris, the two did form a mutual admiration society. Gershwin was drawn to French music, just as Ravel was drawn to American jazz—and Gershwin’s mid-1920s works, Rhapsody in Blue and the Piano Concerto in F.
In this hour, the fascinating links between these two composers and their music.
FEATURED RECORDINGS
| Title | Group/Artist | Catalog # | UPC |
| Gershwin & Ravel Piano Concertos [for Ravel Concerto] | Helene Grimaud, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Zinman | Erato 0630 19571-2 | 706301957127 |
| Rhapsody in Blue, etc. [For Piano Concerto in F] | Earl Wild, Boston Pops Orchestra, Arthur Fiedler | RCA Victor 09026-68792-2 | 090266879229 |
| Gershwin [for Rhapsody in Blue] | Michael Tilson Thomas, Los Angeles Philharmonic | Sony MK 39699 | 074643969925 |
