George Gershwin

Three Preludes

These three short pieces was originally written for solo piano and performed for the first time by the composer in New York in 1926. Each prelude is a well known example of early 20th-century american classical music, strongly influenced by jazz. Gershwin originally planned to compose 24 preludes for solo piano but for various reasons, only these three saw the light of day. Of the three preludes, no. 2 in c minor is the most famous one. Gershwin himself described it as '.... a sort of blues lullaby', a good description of an andante piece written in a slow, jazzy style. The arrangement by Anders Wiedestrand gives the whole band both musical- and technical challenges. The beautiful main theme in prelude 2 is presented by a flugelhorn solo.