Page 213 - Alison Balsom Quiet City FULL BOOK

Davis pieces – . the "Concierto de Aranjuez" arranged for him by Gil Evans is
included. "I love jazz," she explains. And laughingly pushes back: "But I'm not a jazz
musician with the best of intentions! Because I don't improvise."

"Healthy respect" for "Rhapsody in Blue"

A highlight of this recording is an ingenious reworking of George Gershwin's jazz
cult hit "Rhapsody in Blue", which focuses on the trumpet. The "Rhapsody in Blue"
successfully combines jazz, blues and concert symphony. Alison Balsom interprets
the longingly blossoming recognition motif of the rhapsody, with which a clarinet

opens the work, on her trumpet. For this purpose, Alison Balsom had commissioned
a new large-scale orchestral arrangement by arranger Simon Wright for the work,
originally for two pianos. A new interpretation, a kind of rediscovery, always requires
a certain amount of courage in works of this level of notoriety. She was certainly not
afraid of it, "but a healthy respect. I'm glad I got this opportunity," she enthuses. She
had put a lot of time into the discovery.

Speaking of gratitude. Alison Balsom is generally very happy that she is allowed to

make music. Especially "in those times when you were only allowed to play from the
balcony a few months ago..." Whether music can change the world right away – she
leaves this question unanswered. But through music, something changes for the
better in people. "Music can accompany, music can express things that are otherwise
difficult to express."

Alison Balsom sees the recordings of "Quiet City" as a milestone in her career. Unlike
her previous albums, she approached things quite relaxed and left much more to
chance than before until the post-production phase.