What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

As the 100th Anniversary year of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue comes to a close, Rob Kapilow—author, pianist, composer, conductor, and NPR contributor—returns to highlight the rarely heard original version, written for piano and jazz big band. 

In this What Makes It Great? performance, Kapilow shares how Gershwin’s compositional choices set the work apart. In teaching audiences to listen to works, not simply hear them, he demonstrates how rhythmic, harmonic, and stylistic moments can defy expectations and delight audiences. Kapilow illustrates what made Rhapsody in Blue both an immediate sensation in its time and an enduring, era-defining piece of American art. 

This performance is generously supported by
Amy & Joshua Boger.