UKIAH >> On Dec. 6 and 7, an all-Gershwin concert at the Mendocino College Center Theater will ring in the season with three of this early 20th century American composer”s orchestral works: “Cuban Overture,” “An American in Paris” and “Concerto in F”.
George Gershwin was a pioneer in infusing jazz with classical, first heard in Rhapsody in Blue, and then with the multiple horn instrumentation (including a taxi horn) in his 1928 composition, An American in Paris, a tone poem meant to tell the story of an American tourist taking in the sounds of France. Cuban Overture, another tone poem, was inspired by his two-week visit to Havana in 1932. The piece is dominated by Caribbean rhythms, influenced by Cuban music and dance with percussion instruments—bongos, claves, gourds and maracas—creating a rich and exciting sound.
Concerto in F for solo piano and orchestra was written with no formal training in advanced composition, harmony and orchestration, and working under a very tight deadline. Gershwin bought books to teach himself the skills.
Simultaneously working on three different Broadway musicals, he began the score in July of 1925 and finished in November, secluding himself in a practice shack at the Chautauqua Institute to have the forced solitude necessary for a timely completion.
Roy Bogas, performing the solo piano for the concerto, has been a guest with the Ukiah Symphony many times over the years, delighting audiences with his precision performances. He first played with the Community Concert Series and afterward was invited by Ukiah Symphony conductor Carolyn Hawley to play a Tchaikovsky concerto. He has maintained a relationship with the community and conductor Les Pfutzenreuter says of him, “We have worked so well together; he gives so much back to the orchestra when we rehearse. His musicianship is a joy; when we play with him we are able to perform the great literature written for piano and orchestra.”
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $5 for children under 18 and students with ASB cards. Tickets are available at the Mendocino Book Company, 102 S. School St., Ukiah; Mail Center, Etc., 207A North Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale and online at www.brownpapertickets.com.
