If the two Duo-Art rolls of Gershwin playing "Rhapsody in Blue"
are glued together, with the inserted resolving chord at the end of
roll 1 replaced by a suitable pause, they play for 16-17 minutes.
But I believe George's mother was said to be very proud that her son
had written a piece "19 minutes long" -- and orchestral recordings
tend to be around that length.  Perhaps an orchestra gets in the way ?
Dan Wilson, London
 [ Somewhere I read that Gershwin felt that symphony orchestras didn't
 [ play the piece as fast as he preferred.  I've heard piano concerto
 [ performances wherein I felt the piano soloist was 'pushing' the
 [ beat, attempting to accelerate the orchestra.  -- Robbie
  |