Which jazz-influenced orchestral piece did Walter Johannes Damrosch conduct the world premiere performances of?
An American in Paris An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by the American composer George Gershwin, written in 1928. Inspired by the time Gershwin had spent in Paris, it evokes the sights and energy of the French capital in the 1920s and is one of his best-known compositions.
Ernst Victor Wolff Ernst Victor Wolff (Aug 6, 1889–August 21, 1960) was a German-born concert pianist and harpsichordist who maintained a career not only as a soloist but also as a respected accompanist. Singers with whom he performed included Dorothy Maynor and Alexander Kipnis; he accompanied the latter in the Hugo Wolf Society recording project of the 1930s. As a harpsichordist, on February 20, 1938 he participated in the Carnegie Hall premiere of J.S. Bach's "Coffee Cantata" under the direction of Walter Damrosch; the other performers on that occasion included singers Charles Kullman, Helen Jepson, and Lawrence Tibbett; flutist Frances Blaisdell; violinists Jascha Heifetz and Sascha Jacobsen; violist Leon Barzin; cellist Gaspar Cassadó; and double bassist Anselme Fortier.