In the world of music, the passage of time is no longer a concern when lived through the rhythm of anniversaries. The year 2025, which is drawing to a close, has been an opportunity to commemorate the genius of Maurice Ravel, marking the 150th anniversary of his birth. It’s also been a perfect occasion to revisit the fantastic work that is the Piano Concerto, written by George Gershwin in 1925. Pianist José Gallardo will perform the solo part. The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, conducted by Gianluca Marcianò, will complement the French portion of the programme with the Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz.

The American composer’s Piano Concerto is an even more ambitious work than his slightly older Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin, though still very young, drew on his experience gained largely thanks to his previous work, in his later pieces. He orchestrated the three-movement Concerto himself, unlike the Rhapsody – writing it the artist still lacked the skills to arrange it for orchestra. In the Concerto, he excelled in his new role. The colourful orchestration, revealing the influences of Debussy and Ravel, is one of the many strengths of this music, otherwise imbued with a jazzy sound and the distinctive rhythm of American style. Gershwin was, after all, an admirer not only of the fruit of the New Orleans cultural melting pot but also of French music. As early as 1926, he travelled to Paris, where he sought composition lessons from Nadia Boulanger and Ravel. Yet, both composers believed that the New Yorker no longer needed their help.

French themes in the work of the author of Porgy and Bess will be an excellent introduction to the second part of the evening. Hector Berlioz wrote the Roman Carnival at the turn of 1844. In it, he included themes from his opera Benvenuto Cellini. The Paris premiere of the work was a fiasco, and the composer, creating a shorter version of the composition, still faced the prospect of wasting his artistic effort. The resulting captivating overture gained considerable popularity. The opera ultimately gained wider public attention, aided by Franz Liszt, who staged it in Weimar. Ravel’s famous Bolero also resulted from apparent failure. The composer was supposed to orchestrate piano works by Isaac Albéniz to create a ballet for the dancer Ida Rubinstein. However, copyright laws prevented him from realising this intention. Undeterred, Ravel decided to use Iberian inspirations in a wholly original work – a mesmerizing stylisation of a popular Spanish dance.