BSO, Lighthouse, Poole
An American in Poole may not have quite the same cache as An American in Paris, but when it's Marin Alsop whooping it up with the biggest goddamn jazz band in the country, the sound was mighty fine.
James P. Johnson's Victory Stride set our feet tapping all the way to Paris where Gershwin's musical organisation of the chaotic 1920s traffic, with motor horns piercing the nightlife.
Simon Trpceski brought Gershwin's ravishing Rhapsody in Blue into the limelight with a dazzling performance and decent swing to this colourful score.
Alsop's band is pretty well-versed with this one, and it showed. Aptly, Trpceski put brilliant finger work to Brubeck's Take Five.
The opening bars of Copland's extremely taxing Symphony No. 2, Short Symphony, stamped with his trademark outdoor sound and rather like Appalachian Spring with attitude.
A huge unison episode spiked with stormy chords, a lyrical centre and rhythmic energy to finish.
The serious stuff in the form of Bernstein's grim On the Waterfront Suite was a staggering tour de force, but maybe it was no real surprise to go home with Sweet Georgia Brown ringing in our ears.
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