Classical music you didn’t know you lovedAn American in Paris

by Kathleen Sykes

When I was a little girl, my mother always rented old movies for us to watch together. Every once in a while, I would come home from school, and she would have rented a great movie musical like “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” or “On the Town” or “Singing in the Rain.” We’d curl up under a blanket and take in the beautiful melodies and clever choreography.

One movie from this time period stood out to me unlike any other: An American in Paris. I was enchanted by Gene Kelly’s choreography. And of course, George Gershwin’s music is fantastic. I particularly fell in love with Georges Guétary’s golden singing voice in this song.

But the most stunning part of the movie is the ballet scene at the end based on Gershwin’s American in Paris composition influenced by the composer’s time in Paris. Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron’s characters are transported into a fantasy world depicting all of the energy and excitement Paris has to offer. They visit the Palais Garnier and Moulin Rouge in the form of a Toulouse-Lautrec painting, among other recognizable locations.

If none of this is ringing a bell, the main theme from Gershwin’s composition is sure to jog your memory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_tyRcAGeg

The most memorable scene for me is when Kelly and Caron dance in a replica of the iconic fountain of Place de la Concorde. The sensual and jazzy music was one of the most beautiful things I had ever heard. Years after seeing this movie for the first time, I took a trip to Paris and stumbled across the original fountain, and I could almost hear the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpF7a0NFWNY

The entire composition of An American in Paris tells a story, you might feel like you’re walking down the streets of the iconic city as you listen to it. Let us transport you to Paris—buy your tickets here.