The 1920s and 30s ? never has there been so elegant and effervescent a time, and no composer is more closely associated with that time as George Gershwin.

No city represented that period quite like Havana; it throbbed with the rhythms and sounds that band leaders all over the world were picking up to create the style of music that is inextricably bound with the panache and pulse of those remarkable years. When George Gershwin ? who was already famous after the huge success of Rhapsody in Blue in 1924 ? visited Cuba in 1932, he was struck by the dance rhythms and percussion he found there. When he returned, he brought with him a collection of assorted percussion instruments, and, inspired by the music that had soaked the Caribbean nights, the ideas to write Cuban Overture.

It was this piece that opened the Bermuda Philharmonic Society of Bermuda's programme 'All That's Music' on Saturday evening at the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts. Led by Philharmonic director Dr. Gary Burgess, the Overture opens with a flourish, conjuring up a bustling city scene where the rhythm of the rumba is always pulsing in the back-ground, even after moving into the reflective blues of the second section.

This darker mood provided a dramatic contrast to the glorious, rumba-infused finale. This work has been described as great fun to play, and indeed, it was it clear that the orchestra thoroughly enjoyed performing it. They gave a vibrant and invigorating rendition of the Overture, and the brass ? so critical to capturing the moods and rhythm of this music ? did their part with aplomb.

It provided a wonderful start to the programme and an introduction to some audience members to this less familiar of Gershwin's works. Rhapsody in Blue, is of course much more famous, and here one of Bermuda's best resident pianists, Deon Flash, was the soloist.

The famous sliding horn that opens this well-known piece has the effect of whetting the appetite of any Gershwin enthusiast. In keeping with the jazz idiom, Mr. Flash ? who appeared completely relaxed and delighted to be on the stage and performing this piece ? very quickly made it clear that he would give it his own stamp.

Enhancing the rhythm in an irresistible fashion, the horns picked it up resulting in an interpretation marked by verve and style. Mr. Flash's performance, along with that of the orchestra, enchanted the audience and led to an enthusiastic standing ovation.

After the intermission, the audience was treated to the piece that is perhaps Gershwin's great masterpiece, An American in Paris. The hustle and bustle of this European capital, complete with honking horns makes this a vibrant picture, capturing the essence of the great city in the 1920s. Dr. Burgess' interpretation provided this hugely engaging work with a bit of a swagger, just as one might imagine a young man strolling down a busy Parisian street, his hat cocked to one side! An American in Paris is categorised as a tone poem, and I think more than that, it must be one of the most successful pictorial pieces ever written. The orchestra's dynamic execution of this music brought it to life and made this an enormously enjoyable performance.

Dr. Burgess then introduced the audience to a composer who is not widely known.

American Charles Ives is celebrated for his experimental work in composition and for his fearfully difficult music.

He was inspired by sounds of his rural New England childhood, including the hymns he would have heard at church. The Fugue from his Fourth Symphony was inspired by those tunes and sounds, and the result ? completely in contrast with the cityscapes portrayed by Gershwin ? are its soothing strains, so perceptively performed by the orchestra. They elicit a panorama of peaceful pastoral scenes.

The programme concluded with another very famous work, this time by Leonard Bernstein.

West Side Story Overture incorporates some of the most famous songs of the period, such as Tonight and others.

In some ways, this piece was the highlight of the concert.

The orchestra gave a really superb performance this challenging music, infusing it with all the rhythm and texture of the Latin themes, and then pulling the song tunes from it with great effect.

This Philharmonic concert was so thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting that it left one with a lighter heart, and a lilt in one's step!

An inspired choice of music and perspicacious, engaged performances combined to make this a truly memorable evening.