September 24–October 1, 1998

music|classical

Gershwin Crazy

A bevy of reissues and retrospectives celebrate Gershwin's centennial.

By Steve Cohen

		Gershwim, Lose or Draw: George (left) with brother Ira

George Gershwin had a healthy high regard for his own music, and he loved playing it in concerts and at private parties. In one rare moment of doubt, he asked his friend Oscar Levant: "Do you think anyone will be playing my music 50 years from now?" and Levant replied: "If you're still alive, yes."

Well, George died at age 38, and here we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth. He was born in Brooklyn exactly 100 years ago (well, depending when you picked up this copy of City Paper), on Sept. 26. More people than ever are listening to his music, playing it and recording it. A batch of new CDs and historic reissues have come out to coincide with the centennial celebration. Here's a sampling of the most interesting of them.

Gershwin made his reputation in the 1920s as a composer of Broadway shows, and the songs he wrote for them are his outstanding legacy. The re-releases of Lady Be Good, Oh Kay and Girl Crazy with Dawn Upshaw, Jason Alexander, Lorna Luft, John Pizzarelli, Adam Arkin, etc. (Nonesuch) are rhythmically pulsating, vigorous and jazzy. As a performer in a revival of Girl Crazy, I discovered that a Gershwin piece is much more difficult to sing than it sounds. His unexpected syncopations and surprising choice of notes can drive a singer crazy—and that's what makes his music fun to hear.

The Nonesuch label has worked with the Gershwin family on a series of CDs with authentic orchestrations. John Pizzarelli does his own style of jazz-inflected singing and guitar playing, making these albums sound very much of our time, while not violating Gershwin's spirit. In fact, the original productions (1924-1930) included jazz musicians such as Goodman and Krupa doing some improvising.

The musical Of Thee I Sing originated in Philadelphia and was revived as the first production of the American Music Theater Festival here in 1984. The recording with Maureen McGovern, Larry Kert, Jack Gilford (Sony), conducted by Tilson Thomas, is exhilarating.

The best performance of Gershwin's only opera, Porgy and Bess, is conducted by the British Simon Rattle. He does an impassioned job with this American folk opera. His cast is all black, according to Gershwin's instructions. This recording gives us an idea of the cross-cultural excitement that would take place here if Rattle were to accept entreaties to become music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The collection Standards and Gems (Nonesuch) features new performances by Audra McDonald and Dawn Upshaw, packaged with highlights from Nonesuch's complete recordings of Gershwin shows.

It was in movies, rather than on stage, that most folks heard Gershwin's music, so the collection Gershwin in Hollywood (Rhino) is essential. The two-CD set includes everything that Gershwin composed for film, including songs that weren't heard until after his death, copied from the soundtracks. An elaborate illustrated booklet is included.

Rhapsody in Blue (a new collection featuring various CDs with Gershwin, Levant and Bernstein on Sony), is enjoyable in the lean, jazz-band version of the 1923 premiere, as well as the more familiar symphony orchestra arrangement. Sony has Gershwin playing his own solo, via piano rolls, accompanied by the Columbia Jazz Band led by Michael Tilson Thomas. Among the many CDs of the symphonic version, I prefer Oscar Levant's—he, of course, was a close friend of Gershwin and was a fine pianist before his descent into paranoia and drugs—but I wouldn't want to neglect the flamboyant playing and conducting of Bernstein in his prime.

Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls (Elektra Nonesuch) offers unfamiliar songs as well as the Rhapsody, with Gershwin's piano rolls played back on a modern grand piano and recorded in stereo.

Joshua Bell Plays Gershwin (Sony) features the young American violinist playing interesting interpretations of George's songs and piano compositions. Some of them were transcribed into violin virtuoso pieces by Jascha Heifetz in the 1930s, with Gershwin's approval.

For jazz vocal interpretations, Sarah Vaughan is superb in a concert from the Hollywood Bowl, Gershwin Live! on Sony. Ella is heard in more intimate surroundings on the Verve Songbook series. The old five-LP Fitzgerald set has been abetted with outtakes and extensive notes. Mel Torme recorded the music of Porgy and Bess in his inimitable pop-jazz style and Rhino has reissued Torme's old recordings made for Atlantic, Mercury and other labels.

Michael Feinstein (Atlantic and Elektra) unearthed many song treasures in his work as secretary to Ira Gershwin, and began to sing and play them in clubs and on records. His early Pure Gershwin is tremulous and appealing, his recent Nice Work If You Can Get It is more extroverted. Either way, Feinstein deserves much credit for bringing back Gershwin's music for a new generation.

George's birthday is being celebrated locally with performances of his Piano Concerto in F by the Philadelphia Orchestra, featuring pianist Garrick Ohlsson, Monday, Sept. 28, at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust. Call 893-1900 for more info.