Concerto in F (1925)

Gershwin was approached a day after Rhapsody in Blue’s premiere and commissioned to write a piano concerto. This piece was premiered the next year by its commissioners, the New York Symphony Orchestra, with Gershwin playing the piano. This piece was a landmark in Gershwin’s composing career, as it was his first complete orchestration of his own work. Gershwin had no formal training in orchestration at this time, and under pressure of a deadline he bought books and taught himself the necessary skills. In contrast to the previous piece, Concerto in F features a more traditional three-movement concerto format – Allegro, Adagio-Andante con moto, Allegro agitato. Despite this ‘classical’ connection, the work is heavily infused with jazz, for example the ‘blues’ sounding middle movement, and the ragtime elements of the finale.

Again, this work was very popular with the general public; the concert was a sell-out, but the critic’s reviews were mixed as they struggled to categorize it as either jazz or classical. Likewise, Gershwin’s fellow composers were sharply divided in their opinions; it was loved by Stravinksy, but loathed by Prokofiev.