ANTONIO Banderas is presenting the works of Gershwin performed by one of Spain’s most exciting pianists this month.
The Hollywood star is promoting ‘Gershwin in Blue’ over two amazing nights at his CaixaBank Soho Theatre in Malaga on July 18 and 19.
Under the baton of Arturo Díez Boscovich, the Larios Pop del Soho will perform alongside 19-year-old ‘pianist prodigy’ Marcos Castilla.
The ensemble will perform iconic works of American genius Gershwin including the overture to An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue – evocative scores that recall New York City and the jazz age.
The programme will also include excerpts from Gershwin’s only opera, Porgy and Bess, one of his most celebrated works and home to the world-famous jazz standard Summertime.
Regarded as a true musical icon, Gershwin blended jazz and popular music with symphonic forms. His music resonated deeply with American society during the so-called Roaring Twenties, establishing him as one of the most influential composers of his time.
Gershwin in Blue will see Castilla perform Rhapsody in Blue alongside the 65 musicians of the Larios Pop del Soho.
It will mark the young pianist’s third appearance at the theatre under Boscovich, while he continues his studies at the prestigious Bard College Conservatory of Music in New York.
As is now traditional for the orchestra’s major productions, the performance will be presented under the artistic direction of Banderas.
Describing it as a ‘profound joy’ for him, the actor added: “Perhaps the true secret of Gershwin lies not in choosing between the street and the theatre, between the popular and the classical, but in allowing all these worlds to coexist.”
He continued: “In Rhapsody in Blue, that famous opening clarinet glissando seemed to herald a new musical language.
“In An American in Paris, the city itself becomes music. And in Porgy and Bess, his most ambitious work, Gershwin brought together opera, jazz, and African-American tradition in a score of extraordinary richness.”
The show will be enhanced with visual elements and a theatrical narrative that distinguish it from more traditional concerts.
The performances will take place at 7:00 pm on July 18 and on Sunday 19 July at 12:00 noon.
The Gershwin in Blue concert album is now on sale
This major event coincides with the official release of the Gershwin in Blue album, a live recording of the programme performed in 2023 by the Larios Pop Symphony Orchestra of Soho, with Castilla as solo pianist.
It is produced by Soho Sounds Records, founded by Banderas.
Concert programme
Rhapsody in Blue (1924). (Orchestrated by Ferde Grofé). Piano soloist: Marcos Castilla
An American in Paris (1928). (Orchestrated by Frank Cambell – Watson)
Porgy and Bess Suite “Catfish Row” (1935). (Orchestrated by Steven Bowen)
I Catfish Row
II Porgy Sings
III Fugue
Tickets for the ‘Gershwin in Blue’ show are available on the theatre’s website, at the box office and at all El Corte Inglés branches.
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