I mean, why is he writing this American in Paris kind of soundscape?

Well, it started in 1928, and he was looking out of his window in winter at the Hudson River, and he'd been to Paris two years before, and he'd made a little note of a melody called Very Parisienne, and that's the theme at the beginning.

[upbeat music] And he'd kept it kind of in the back of his mind for a couple of years.

And in 1928, he was looking out of his window at the river, and he said it suddenly struck him what this piece was about.

It was about being homesick while you're in a foreign country.

So the piece is A-B-A, essentially.

The first bit is, um, an American tourist walking around, soaking in the sights, seeing the busyness of the capital, having a little bit of wine.

Ben, is this a more comfortable audio experience for you?