An American in Paris

'An American in Paris' was inspired by a trip to Europe in 1928. Gershwin called it a 'rhapsodic ballet' in the impressionistic style. The composer did not want to describe but rather to suggest and appeal to the listener's fantasy. The blues expresses the spleen of an American who is rather solitary in the French capital. The motor horns evoke the hectic traffic on the Parisian boulevards. Gershwin composed this work in different hotel rooms in Paris, London and Vienna.