Variations on „I got Rhythm“ (urtext)

George Gershwin's “Variations on "I Got Rhythm"” from 1934 ranks among the most brilliant examples of that American art music which seamlessly unites jazz and classical tradition. The theme — a Broadway hit from Gershwin's musical “Girl Crazy” (1930) — is presented in ever-changing transformations that place the pianist at the center as a virtuoso soloist, bringing the work close to the character of a concertante showpiece.

The musical language is typical of Gershwin's mature style: rhythmic energy, syncopated phrasing, and an instrumental colorfulness that owes as much to Broadway as to the European symphonic tradition. The scoring with saxophones underscores the jazzy character and lends the work that unmistakably American voice that Gershwin had also cultivated in the “Rhapsody in Blue” and the “Concerto in F”.

The present edition is based on Gershwin's own orchestration, making it a particular rarity: the version commonly performed today derives from a later re-orchestration by William Schoenfeld. For those wishing to explore Gershwin's original sonic conception, this edition provides the more authentic source.