BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Rhapsody In Blue

When
15–16 Apr
Where
Cardiff & Swansea
Artwork for Rhapsody In Blue
Gabriela Ortiz + George Gershwin + Manuel de Falla

The programme

  1. Gabriela Ortiz

    TZAM

  2. George Gershwin

    Rhapsody in Blue (orch. Grofé)

  3. Manuel de Falla

    The Three-Cornered Hat

The evening

This vibrant programme brings together music of dialogue, city energy and sun‑drenched dance under the direction of Carlos Miguel Prieto. Gabriela Ortiz’s TZAM, meaning “dialogue” in the endangered Ayapaneco language, opens the evening with a powerful reflection on human connection, memory and shared space. Dedicated to the late composer Mario Lavista, the work invites listeners into an urgent and contemplative musical conversation.

Ethan Loch is soloist in Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, a work born from the rhythms of the American city and famously conceived on a train journey. Jazzy, virtuosic and unmistakably American, it remains a dazzling musical kaleidoscope.

After the interval, Manuel de Falla’s full ballet The Three‑Cornered Hat closes the concert in brilliant colour, blending Spanish folk rhythms with luminous orchestration in a theatrical score of irresistible vitality.

On stage

  • Carlos Miguel Prieto

    Conductor

  • BBC National Orchestra of Wales

  • Ethan Loch

    Piano

  • Angharad Lyddon

    Mezzo-Soprano