The Somm label has devoted many releases to semi-obscure British music, and the same is true of British pianist Mark Bebbington. It may be a surprise, therefore, to see them essay the most famous American pieces of all. Don't let that cause you any hesitation at all: this is an important Gershwin recording that brings completely new and coherent interpretations to works that might be thought to have been fully explored. Part of the appeal is the detailed, rather dry reading offered by Bebbington, which fits into a long ...
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The Somm label has devoted many releases to semi-obscure British music, and the same is true of British pianist Mark Bebbington. It may be a surprise, therefore, to see them essay the most famous American pieces of all. Don't let that cause you any hesitation at all: this is an important Gershwin recording that brings completely new and coherent interpretations to works that might be thought to have been fully explored. Part of the appeal is the detailed, rather dry reading offered by Bebbington, which fits into a long British tradition and stands in contrast to the brash orchestral parts from American conductor Leon Botstein, leading the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. But it's not just that: Bebbington finds polyphony in Gershwin, and that's not a word often associated with this composer. Sample the slow movement of the Piano Concerto in F, which has an almost impressionist feel. Bebbington does not stretch the music in any particular direction; he simply finds things in it that others have ignored....
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