Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, Piano Concerto in F Major / Tacchino, Foster Composer: George Gershwin Performer: Gabriel Tacchino Orchestra/Ensemble: Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra Performer: Gabriel Tacchino Gabriel Tacchino was born in Cannes, France, on August 4, 1934. He began piano lessons at six; he studied music at the Paris Conservatory, where his teachers included Jean Batalla, Jacquer Févier, and Marguerite Long. Tacchino won two major competitions. Gabriel Tacchino was propelled to international stardom after winning a string of competition prizes in the mid-'50s. By the early '60s he was regularly touring the globe and appearing with major conductors, like Karajan, Monteux, Leinsdorf, Horenstein, Cluytens, Fruhbeck de Burgos, Armin Jordan, and countless others. He became a major recording artist in the 1960s, and while he has been less active in that role from about the 1990s, many of his numerous recordings are still available.