Rhapsody in Blue

On February 12, the Big Jazz Orchestra led by Pyotr Vostokov presented the festive program “Rhapsody in Blue — 100” at the Moscow Conservatory, marking the centenary of the first performance of George Gershwin’s legendary work. On February 12, 1924, the piece that would eventually become one of the musical symbols of the century was performed for the first time at Aeolian Hall in New York. Gershwin himself presented his revolutionary Rhapsody in Blue, captivating the sophisticated audience forever. Among those in attendance that evening were Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky, who unanimously praised the rhythmic inventiveness, brilliant melodies, and original harmony of the new masterpiece. Combining elements of European symphonic music with American jazz, the piece subsequently became a signature work not only of the composer himself, but of jazz as a whole.

Pyotr Vostokov is one of the most talented musicians of the younger generation, who has rapidly risen to prominence in the music world. He became interested in jazz at the age of 16, joining Vladimir Segal’s youth big band at the Central House of Culture of Railway Workers. In 2009, he graduated from the pop and jazz department of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, where he studied ensemble performance under A. V. Oseychuk and orchestral performance under A. O. Kroll. In 2006, he graduated from the Open World American-Russian educational program, as part of which he performed at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in the United States.

In 2010, together with singer Darya Antonova, he founded the Big Jazz Orchestra (BJO), of which he has remained the musical director ever since. Together with the BJO, he regularly participates in major Russian and international festivals, including Jazz at the Hermitage Garden, Triumph of Jazz, Koktebel Jazz Party, and many others. The orchestra performs at Russia’s leading philharmonic and concert venues, is a resident ensemble at Esse Jazz Club and Alexey Kozlov Club, and actively tours throughout Russia. The Big Jazz Orchestra’s debut album was recorded in 2017 at the famous First Sound Studio at Mosfilm. In recent years, the orchestra has taken part in several major television and online projects, including “The Big Musical,” “The Big Jazz,” and “LAB with Anton Belyaev,” as well as recording music for popular films and TV series such as “House Arrest” and “Odessa Steamboat.”

In 2020, Pyotr Vostokov was named Musician of the Year by Radio Jazz 89.1 and received the All Colors of Jazz Award.