Summary: We're listening to the 20th century. Throughout 2013, the London Philharmonic Orchestra appears as the major orchestral partner in Southbank Centre’s year-long, multi-art-form festival The Rest Is Noise. The festival ooks at the key works of the 20th century through a wide lens, taking in the political happenings, social movements, cultural climates and personal stories that gave rise to these inspiring and sometimes controversial pieces of music. In the 1920s, American composers began to break away from the confines of the European classical music tradition and to find a national voice, often incorporating jazz inspiration. In a concert given in February, conducted by Marin Alsop, the LPO presented the new voices of America - Ives, Scott Joplin, Gershwin and Copland. Pianist Garrick Ohlsson performed Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Copland's Piano Concerto in the concert, and this podcast gives you the chance to hear a pre-concert talk in which he explores the musical language of these two works. The interviewer was Christopher Cook. Visit therestisnoise.lpo.org.uk for full information about the festival.
