George Gershwin wrote “Rhapsody in Blue” at the behest of bandleader Paul Whiteman for his concert “An Experiment in Modern Music.” The piece was introduced February 12, 1924, and it was an instant success. As one critic put it, Gershwin “is a link between the jazz camp and the intellectuals. His Rhapsody revealed a genuine melodic gift and a piquant and individual harmonic sense. Moreover, it was genuine jazz music.”

All five compositions are performed here by pianist Earl Wild with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Wild was an acknowledged master among Gershwin interpreters, and his recordings with Fiedler are a living legend of musical rightness, beauty and popularity.