Clayton Stephenson plays the Gershwin Concerto to share, to give

If Shmukler plays Rachmaninov to compete, Clayton Stephenson plays the Gershwin Concerto to share, to give and to communicate the music’s jazzy idiom and unfettered creative spark. Moreover, Stephenson is that rare bird who brings to this work both a comprehensive classical technique and an innate feeling for jazz rhythm. The ‘blue note’ embellishments and syncopations couldn’t have been more idiomatic, and for all the ebullience Stephenson brought to his unaccompanied passages, he also proved to be a great ensemble player, sensitively locking in with all of the third movement’s tempo changes and rubatos. And let’s not forget to credit the trumpet soloist’s muted bluesy slides in the second movement, or the tartly tinged cor anglais solo.

In a certain sense, the Gershwin Concerto’s positive energy helps to burst The Cliburn’s high-pressure bubble, albeit temporarily. In the meantime, high stakes loom large while the piano community awaits the return of both Stephenson and Lim on Friday night, playing … Rach 3!

To watch more videos of the performances discussed ab