David Orea C.  replies to Renato:

>>I am very fan of Gershwin, but just since my 18 (10 years ago), and I
>>didn't know that!  Isn't there any recording of the "original" score of
>>it?  Why, is it so difficult? More than Prokofiev 3third?
>
>Recordings of this masterwork are several, in at least 4 different
>versions:
>
>1.- The Original Concerto orchestrated by Gershwin.
>
>2.- The Concerto arranged by Grofe.

Although Grofe of course arranged Rhapsody in Blue, as far as I know, he
had nothing to do with the Concerto in F.  However, the concerto has indeed
been performed in an arrangement (not by Gershwin) as the standard score
until very, very recently.  Scholars have in the past 20 or so years begun
to go back to Gershwin's manuscripts (in 1997, the centenary of Gershwin's
birth, the original manuscript of the Concerto was finally published) and
have found some rather disturbing things, chief of which is that Gershwin's
manuscripts are far more interesting musically than what actually got
played.  Gershwin's publishers didn't think he orchestrated all that well,
because he orchestrated unconventionally, and they had the works gone over
by some arranger whose name I forget right now (Robert Somebody).  They
sold this as Gershwin.  As far as I'm concerned, the situation is analogous
to Bruckner's problems with *his* publishers.

>3.- The Concerto in a version for two Pianos.

This is Gershwin's working version, pre-orchestration.

>In the Philips LP, Katia & Marielle Labeque are the performers of the
>version for two pianos.

This is an arrangement for 2 pianos and orchestra especially commissioned
by the Labeques.  I don't think much of it.

Steve Schwartz