The Hallé with Steven Osborne, conductrd by Louis Langrée

This trans-Atlantic tale of two cities begins with New Yorker Aaron Copland’s haunting evocation of an urban landscape at night, its solo trumpet capturing the hushed vistas of empty streets. More fantastic locations are conjured in Maurice Ravel’s enchanting Mother Goose Suite, the first of two pieces in this concert by the Parisian impressionist. Like many Frenchmen Ravel was seduced by the blue tones of American jazz and his breezy Piano Concerto in G has more than a nod to Gershwin amongst its deft flicks of colour and darting virtuosic runs.

Gershwin’s own fusion of classical and jazz was prompted by bandleader Paul Whiteman, for whose ‘Experiment in Modern Music’ concert Rhapsody in Blue was written in 1924. From the opening clarinet glissando it walks and talks the rhythms of Manhattan’s sidewalks, whilst finding room for one of the composer’s most glowing melodies. The French connection ends with what Gershwin described as ‘the most modern music I have ever attempted’. An American in Paris is a giddy love affair with the city, its rich blues harmonies rubbing shoulders with blaring taxi horns.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium: Jonathan James on jazz in Ravel and Gershwin