When Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ reverberated on 84 pianos in the 1984 Summer Olympics

1 August 2024, 14:43

Gershwin’s classic concerto boomed through the strings of 84 grand pianos, at one of history’s greatest Olympic Games.

1984 was a monumental year in world history. In addition to inspiring the name of George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, it was the year of parachute pants, giant shoulder pads and neon colours as far as the eye could see – and the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles were no exception to an overarching theme of big, bright boldness.

The 1984 Summer Olympics saw world records and first-evers, as well as a young John Williams conducting his own composition for the Opening Ceremony, ‘Olympic Fanfare and Theme’.

The Opening Ceremony itself was a spectacle of unprecedented size and scale, in the immense and ornately decorated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Complete with entrances on jet packs and a fireworks finale, it went on to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special.

The cornerstone of this large-scale celebration of sports, arts and culture was the ceremony’s Music of America programme, which reached its peak with none other than George Gershwin’s iconic 1924 jazz concerto, Rhapsody in Blue – played by 84 pianists at the same time.

See the rapturous performance below.

Los Angeles 1984 || American classic "Rhapsody in Blue"

This dazzling performance features 84 grand pianos resounding from the Coliseum’s peristyles, accompanied by the orchestra and over 200 dancers.

The technical skill required to perform this daring composition in a traditional setting – one piano soloist with an orchestra – demands a highly accomplished pianist to not only get their fingers around the virtuosic language of Gershwin’s writing, but also to allow the jazz swing and swagger of the music to shine through.

The talent of 84 pianists to do so at the same time, and whilst broadcast live to billions of people around the world, is an achievement deserving of an Olympic medal in and of itself.

With hundreds of dancers spinning and twirling through the coliseum in baby blue silk and tulle, and nearly 100 pianists dressed head-to-toe in matching suits and tails, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue comes to life in glowing technicolour, 60 years after its release.

Read more: How Rhapsody in Blue became Gershwin’s greatest masterpiece

If everything is bigger in America, then everything is larger-than-life in 80s America – hair, mobile phones, shirt collars, and yes, classical music performances on the world stage.

With the Summer Olympics off to the races in Paris this year, we can still hear the echoes of this unforgettable musical moment, 40 years later.