Gershwin Rhapsody, the first collaborative recording from acclaimed concert pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Michael Feinstein, the one-man encyclopaedia of the Great American Songbook, will be released digitally and as a CD on February 23rd, 2024 via Decca Classics. The album features duos, solos, and vocals from the Gershwin catalogue, from Rhapsody in Blue—whose world premiere 100 years ago this month opened a new chapter in musical history—to world premiere recordings of four Gershwin piano works.
For the past year, Thibaudet and Feinstein toured a program called “Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?”. Devised over two years by the artists after an initial conversation at Festival Napa Valley, “Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?” features music that straddles classical composition and popular song, including works by Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and more—all presented in a flexible format ranging from duo shows for two unaccompanied pianos to concerts with full-scale orchestra. “Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?” has earned accolades from The New York Times and been performed all over the United States—including a recent performance at Carnegie Hall, where the two artists were joined by special guest Joshua Henry.
“Jean-Yves and I have known each other for a number of years socially and even spoke previously about doing something professionally together,” recalled Michael Feinstein. “Jean-Yves, of course, has the incredible flexibility with what he does and embraces all different kinds of music that push the boundaries of the concert repertoire. And I'm always trying to push boundaries in what I do. So, we felt that it would be artistically something that would be good for both of us.”
“I have the greatest admiration for him,” said Thibaudet of Feinstein. “I always dream of doing projects where I can work with new artists, and incorporate new musical ideas and possibilities. This collaboration with Michael has been so enriching, and so much fun.”
Gershwin Rhapsody features a variety of works from this project. Recorded at The Colburn School’s Zipper Hall in Los Angeles, the centrepiece of the album is a medley of familiar Gershwin music, bookended by passages from Rhapsody in Blue. The virtuosic piano arrangements by Ted Firth give both artists an opportunity to display their individual voices: there are moments when Feinstein improvises at the keyboard and takes vocal duties, other moments when Thibaudet can showcase his formidable pianistic skills, and, of course, moments when they play together.
After the medley – and a Gershwinesque arrangement of Vincent Youman’s “Tea for Two” – the album features lesser-known George Gershwin works, from his 1916 piece “Rialto Ripples” to several world premieres of pieces from manuscripts that Ira Gershwin supplied Feinstein: “Under the Cinnamon Tree,” “Graceful and Elegant,” and “Sutton Place,” among them.
“It's an incredible privilege, so many years after George Gershwin's passing, to be able to share this music,” Thibaudet said. “It's a very touching, very humbling, very moving experience.”
Over the course of three decades, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has performed worldwide, recorded more than 70 albums, and built a reputation as one of today's finest pianists. From the start of his career, he delighted in music beyond the standard repertoire, from jazz to opera, which he transcribed himself to play on the piano. His profound professional friendships crisscross the globe and have led to spontaneous and fruitful collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art.
Thibaudet's recording catalogue has received multiple international awards and two GRAMMY® nominations. His most recent solo album, 2021’s Carte Blanche, features a collection of deeply personal solo piano pieces never before recorded by the pianist. Other highlights include a 2017 recording of Bernstein's “Age of Anxiety,” recordings of the complete solo piano music of Debussy and Satie, and Grammy-nominated recordings of Ravel’s complete solo piano works and Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerti Nos. 2&5. He is the soloist on Wes Anderson’s 2021 film The French Dispatch; his playing can also be heard in Pride and Prejudice, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Wakefield, and the Oscar-winning and critically acclaimed film Atonement. His concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.
In 2010 the Hollywood Bowl honoured Thibaudet for his musical achievements by inducting him into its Hall of Fame. Previously a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Thibaudet was awarded the title Officier by the French Ministry of Culture in 2012. In 2020, he was named Special Representative for the promotion of French Creative and Cultural Industries in Romania. He is co-Artistic Advisor, with Gautier Capuçon, of the Festival Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot.
Michael Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades, bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world. From recordings that have earned him five GRAMMY® Award nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS-TV specials, his acclaimed NPR series and concerts spanning the globe, his work as an educator and archivist defines Feinstein as one of the most important musical forces of our time.
In 2022, Feinstein released to rave reviews Gershwin Country, an album of standards in duet with some of the biggest names in country music, from Alison Krauss to Brad Paisley, and his rendition of “Love is Here to Stay” with Dolly Parton was Top 10 Billboard charting. In 2007, he founded the Great American Songbook Foundation, dedicated to celebrating the art form and preserving it through educational programs, master classes, and the annual High School Songbook Academy. Michael serves on the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Board, an organisation dedicated to ensuring the survival, conservation, and increased public availability of America’s sound recording heritage.
Feinstein serves as Artistic Director of the Palladium Center for the Performing Arts, and he has served as Artistic Director for Carnegie Hall’s “Standard Time with Michael Feinstein” in conjunction with ASCAP. In 2010, he became the director of the Jazz and Popular Song Series at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center. Feinstein was named Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena Symphony in 2012 and made his conducting debut in June 2013 to critical acclaim. Feinstein’s at the Nikko, Michael’s nightclub at San Francisco’s Nikko Hotel, has presented the top talents of pop and jazz since 2013 and Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, Indiana opened in 2021. In 2022, the Feinstein brand received Tony honors for Excellence in Theater.
TRACKLIST
- Rhapsody In Blue
- Someone To Watch Over Me
- I Got Rhythm
- Embraceable You
- Sweet & Lowdown
- Clap Yo' Hands”/”Fascinating Rhythm
- They Can't Take That Away From Me
- The Man I Love”/Rhapsody In Blue
- Tea For Two
- Sleepless Night
- Graceful and Elegant
- Our Love Is Here To Stay
- Dance of the Waves
- Rialto Ripples
- Sutton Place
- Under The Cinnamon Tree
- Jasbo Brown Blues