Good companion for Rhapsody in Blue

[iumonito]

Hi all,

I have a performance coming up in December and I am in the mood to play Rhapsody in Blue.   Chances are that I'll do it with a second piano playing the orchestral reduction.

I guess the logical companions would be Ravel G (which I know) or Gershwin F (which I don't).

I don't care for the Liza variations or the second Rhapsody.  What would you play or like to hear?

[pianistimo]

poulenc's piano concertino (aubade)?

[Bob]

If you want to stick with Gershwin, the preludes.  Maybe all seven or how many there are.  More than three though.

[dnephi]

Gershwin-Wild Etudes.

[arensky]

Variations on "I Got Rhythm", with your second pianist.

Or some of the Gershwin Songbook arrangements he did of a few of his songs or some of the lesser known pieces like Impromptu in Two Keys and Rialto Ripples. And there's always the Preludes, including  two or three more apart from the three we all know.

Zez Confrey wrote some effective pieces, even if a lot of his work is a bit cheesy. You might try pairing Kitten on the Keys and Smart Aleck. They're pretty good, check 'em out. 

[cmg]

If you want to stick with Gershwin, the preludes.  Maybe all seven or how many there are.  More than three though.

Seven preludes?  No, I'm sure there are only three.

[iumonito]

Seven preludes?  No, I'm sure there are only three.

It's kind of like the trinity, there are three and seven.  The three were published together, the other four were put together by Dr. Rizzo.

I am thinking contrast, and something for piano and orchestra.  Poulen is a good idea, except that I don't really love it.  Weird, 'cause I love Poulenc.

[iumonito]

people! People, we have a winner!!!!

After excitedly considering:

c) playing Bach's Branderburg 5 + arranging the orchestra part for solo flute, solo violin, strings and guitar (that is, both Gershiwn and Bach played with the Bach orchestral forces, spiced up with a touch of the Brazilian substitute of a harpsichord for the continuo); and

b) finding some Gottschalk;

we have a down-right companion piece:  tad, dah: