George Gershwin Plays Rhapsody in Blue

On this CD:

1. Strike Up the Band, musical Overture
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

2. An American in Paris, tone poem for orchestra
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by George Gershwin with James Wilt, Jesse Ceci, Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

3. Rhapsody in Blue for solo piano (arranged by G. Gershwin)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Bill Jackson, Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

4. Swanee
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

5. Kickin' the Clouds Away, song (from Tell Me More, musical)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

6. Tee-oodle-um-bum-bo
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

7. Drifting Along with the Tide (from George White's Scandals of 1921)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

8. So Am I (from Lady Be Good!)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

9. That Certain Feeling (from Tip-Toes)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

10. Sweet and Low-Down (from Tip-Toes)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Denver Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Newton Wayland

Tracks:

Sweet And Lowdown
Novelette In Fourths
That Certain Feeling
So Am I
Rhapsody In Blue
Swanee
When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em...
Kickin' The Clouds Away
Idol Dreams
On My Mind The Whole Night Long
Scandal Walk
An American In Paris

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully American.......2007-05-14

I've had a copy of this CD for years and love it. The power and optimism of the music is really quite remarkable... regardless of who or what is actually playing here. The arrangement of Swanee is light but rich with major chord trains like you just want to go marching around the room. And American In Paris leads you on a swaying, dischordy journey the deeper you go, as the narrative begins to trade delicacy for passion. (and I love renditions where you can hear the MUSIC and the instruments don't get in the way, like four-voice midi versions of Bach which reveal the eloquence).

When I listen to this CD now, and which is most surpring to me, I hear a profound pride in America - back "before." I play it when I have people over and we put burgers on the grill. This CD is the song of sitting in my back yard with the clouds blowing by and for the moment things feel OK.

"Before" - OK, there is no old perfect Amercia; but I'm thinking of the time before we learned to distill petroleum into toxic pollution, before pride meant vanity and thuggery, before hate-filled invective became public amusement, and before presidents went to war because it was good for business.

A Gersh-winner.......2007-01-07

George Gershwin had a long association with the mechanical device known as the player piano. At the age of ten, Gershwin used a neighbor's pianola to teach himself how to play, by very slowly pumping the foot pedal that advanced the hole-punched rolls, and placing his fingers on the depressed keys. His parents were so impressed by his abilities they enrolled the boy in formal piano studies when he turned 13. Thus, an American genius was born.

The existing films of Gershwin (who died of a brain tumor at age 38 in 1937) show him to be a virtuoso at his instrument. His 1924 acoustic recording of Rhapsody In Blue (with the Paul Whiteman orchestra) is further evidence of this. But no film or recording has what is contained within the album GERSHWIN PLAYS GERSHWIN: THE PIANO ROLLS, and that is-- full fidelity range.

The CD comes in a standard jewel case packaged in a heavy paper slipcover. Biographical liner notes are included along with details on the rolls. The earliest performance in this set is from 1916, made when Gershwin was an 18-year-old song plugger. My favorites here are "Swanee," from 1920, and "An American In Paris," from 1933, which is undoubtedly one of the last significant piano rolls ever made.

Gershwin's dynamic performances are not in the least obscured by the few extra notes added to the piano rolls (such practice was standard in those days). Listening to these recordings is like sitting next to this brilliant man, observing his fingers fly over the keys as he plays some of his best work.

TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 60:36

Interesting... but I think I'd prefer a good Gershwin interpreter.......2006-05-14

Composers are not necessarily the best performers of their own work. A songwriter's songwriter like Jules Shear or Jimmy Webb comes to mind -- surely the best representations of their songs are on other artist's albums.

This album is charming in its own way -- a taste of the music and performance style of a bygone era. Someone complained that these rolls were edited. So what? I'm going to review the final product, now how it was made. Do you eat sausage? Ask not what's in it!

I like to listen to this CD in short bits -- a few songs at a time. For some reason I find it to be fatiguing if I listen for more than 20 minutes or so. I'm not absolutely sure why this is so. Possibly the meter is just a little too metronomic on many of the songs. This lends a "mechanical" quality to the performances.

Additionally, I felt that the dynamic range was restricted. The music does get louder and softer, because of the piano rolls themselves and because of the computer programming used to read the piano rolls -- the dynamics were deliberately adjusted by the record producers in some spots, if I read the liner notes correctly. And yet. And yet. Still these songs do not dynamically "breathe" fully in and out the way they ought to. I find this disappointing, but I think it has something to do with inherent limitations in piano roll recording technique. I'm guessing.

Taken for what it is, it is an interesting concept, and the sound quality is very pleasant. The performances are very good for piano rolls, but fall short of what a good interpreter could do. Take, for example, the Rhapsody in Blue from Woody Allen's Manhattan soundtrack. Listen specifically to the piano part -- the dynamics and variations in rhythm. This is not by any means the best performance of Rhapsody, but it is better than the Gershwin rolls.

Gershwin's playing overated.......2006-04-09

After I heard this cd I bought Gershwin plays Gershwin on the naxos label which arn't piano rolls. Any pianist can tell that many of these rolls are heavily edited and can't be played by a pianists with two hands. On the naxos album that has some of these same songs Gershwin's actual playing doesn't sound very good. Many of Gershwins contempories such as James P. Johnson, Eubie Blake, Luckey Roberts and even Zez Confrey were much better pianists than he was, however they didn't have his melodic gifts as a composer. I would recommend Artis Whodhouse's
transcriptions of Jelly Roll Morton's piano rolls (on the same label) instead because most of those are exactly how he played them and in my opinion Morton was a better musician in every way than Gershwin.

The jazzy Gershwin. What a CD!!!!!!!.......2006-02-23

I got this CD as a gift. I am all for the austrogerman post- romantic music and as imagined Gershwin is not my favourite composer. I know him from his best known works such as the 'Rhapsody", the 'American' and his great songs. This CD is a treasure as mentioned from other reviewers of this site. Gershwin full of passion, his music being jazzy to the very end and that great feeling you get after a great live performance is present all over the length of this 'treasure'. No question about the presence of the music. Not to be missed

Average customer rating:

LEVANT AND GERSHWIN A GREAT COMBINATION
Levant Plays Gershwin
Look for the original vinyl
Old classics played by an old classic!
The most heavenly earthly music

Levant Plays Gershwin

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue/Cuban Overture/Porgy and Bess Suite/An American in Paris
Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls
Memoirs of an Amnesiac
Essential George Gershwin

ASIN: B0000026H0
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Rhapsody in Blue
Second Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra
Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra: I-Allegro
Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra: II-Andante Con Moto
Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra: III-Allegro Con Brio
'I Got Rhythm' Variations
Prelude I: Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso
Prelude II: Andante Con Moto E Poco Rubato
Prelude III: Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso

Customer Reviews:

LEVANT AND GERSHWIN A GREAT COMBINATION.......2007-05-13

KNOWING THAT LEVANT AND GERSHWIN WERE CLOSE FRIENDS, COMBINED WITH THE SPECIAL ARTISTRY OF LEVANT, PROVIDES MORE THAN ENOUGH REASON TO PURCHASE THIS CD. LEVANT'S INTERPRETATION OF GERSHIWIN'S MUSIC IS INDEED SPECIAL.

Levant Plays Gershwin.......2007-02-03

I have been in love with Levant's version of Rhasody In Blue for 50 years. Nobody does it better and this CD is excellent. I crank up the Bose and watch the pictures on the wall shake. Nobody does Gershwin better, not even Gershwin.

Look for the original vinyl .......2006-10-27

Columbia Masterworks engineers of the era captured Levant's faithful and arguably definitive Gershwin interpretations in a dry studio setting that enhanced the music's warmth and vitality. Unfortunately, the excessive digital reverberation added to this release compromises the dynamics and acoustic integrity of the original recordings and invariably, the music itself. I may be a lone voice in the wilderness, but I grieve for what this CD could have been.

Old classics played by an old classic!.......2006-08-07

Brings back memories from my childhood when I was a piano student studying Gershwin's serious works. Oscar Levant was Gershwin's best friend, so I figure his interpretation of Gershwin's compositions comes closer to George's own than anyone else's possibly could.

The most heavenly earthly music .......2006-05-24

Two excellent Amazon reviews , one by A. Burns, and another by Mr. Pardo tell more about this recording than I know. What I have to say is that the music of Gershwin , especially 'Rhapsody in Blue' has taken my mind and heart to a certain place that no other music does. There is a kind of inspiring sophistication, a kind of Manhattan glamour in the music which always moves this small- town soul. Levant is by all accounts one of the major interpreters of Gershwin and as Mr. Burns says by the end of the forties he was the 'representative of Gershwin on earth'.
This is the most heavenly earthly music imaginable.

Average customer rating:

Let the Buyer Beware
Historical and Pristine
"Rhapsody In Blue"

Gershwin Plays Rhapsody in Blue

Manufacturer: Shout Factory
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Piano Concerto in F - An American in Paris

ASIN: B000098ZSS
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Tracks:

Rhapsody In Blue
An American In Paris
Swanee
Walkin' The Dog
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Somebody Loves Me
Our Love Is Here To Stay
S'Wonderful
Embraceable You
Oh, Lady Be Good

Customer Reviews:

Let the Buyer Beware.......2007-01-12

I do not disagree on any level with the other reviewers of this CD. However, the content is recorded from piano rolls rather than directly from the artist. This fact is not explicitly presented on the web page. Yes, if one clicks on the CD cover photo to get an enlarged image, one can read "First recording 1924 from rare piano rolls" at the bottom in small type. Not everyone will do this however. For this reason alone I only rate this product 3 stars.

Historical and Pristine.......2006-12-22

This compilation of Gershwin selections taken from the piano rolls of the composer offer a perfect introduction to the music of Gershwin, offering a balance between his serious symphonic pieces and his accessible popular songs. Beginning with two of his concert works, "The Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris," the CD just hints at what the composer accomplished in the concert hall and the world of serious music. To my understanding, the "Rhapsody in Blue" was originally performed at a concert titled 'An Experiment in Modern Music' in 1924 at Aeolian Hall in New York. The piece was performed by an orchestra with Paul Whiteman as director, and with the composer at the piano as part of a concert experiment in jazz. The version on this CD is a piano adaptation created by the composer based off of the original symphonic work.

"An American in Paris" is also a concert work that did not achieve the widespread adoration that the Rhapsody has garnered. It was intended by the composer to capture the emotions of a tourist visiting Paris, and was purportedly auto-biographical. It was performed in 1928 at New York's Carnegie Hall with Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Philharmonic. It received mixed reviews at the time but remains a favorite of Gershwin's classical works. Like the "Rhapsody," the version included here is a piano adaptation of the original orchestral work.

The remaining works on the CD are those of a popular composer, the flipside of Gershwin's career. No other American composer (or any for that matter) has strattled these two different fields of music with the success with which George Gershwin did. And the popular songs, among them, "Embraceable You," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and "Love is Here to Stay" have achieved enormous pop culture penetration and secure Gershwin's place in history as a master of popular song composition. Notably missing from this CD, however, are Ira Gershwin's contributions, i.e. the words, which add an element important to these songs' true place in history. Along with Ira's contributions come the countless Gershwin vocal interpreters who helped to realize these songs' true significance and their dispersion throughout the American popular music idiom.

On these versions, it is simply Gershwin playing his works (albeit the recordings are taken from his piano rolls, not an actual live recording). In these arrangements, the melodies are incorporated into lush and often convoluted harmonic accompaniment, in which the melody often becomes lost (i.e., the bridge or B section of "Oh, Lady Be Good!"). However, the opportunity to hear the composer express the harmonic possibilities of these disguisingly "simple" American tunes is truly a valuable one. The particular bouncing style with which Gershwin jumps from chord to chord to accompany his melodies is clearly apparent on many of these tunes, and that is an aspect borrowed from Ragtime that contributes to Gershwin being labeled as a uniquely "American" styled composer. The idiosyncracy of his composition and playing are tied together and come to life on this CD. The harmonic statements are sophisticated and evasive to the common ear, and the rhythmic precision and prolificity are legendary. Together with the melody, these elements of the musical composition on which Gershwin demonstrates mastery come together to produce a truly quintessential and essential Gershwin compilation.

"Rhapsody In Blue".......2006-07-12

"This piece (Rhapsody In Blue) seemed to sweep through my mind. It was the heart of America, the feverishness of life, the musical welter of races, of peoples, their joys and their passions, their dissipations and their exaltations." ~ George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 - July 11, 1937) ~

Today, July 11, 2006, marks the 69th death anniversary of one of America's most versatile songwriters, George Gershwin. The birth of one of my favorite jazz-infused-classical pieces, "Rhapsody In Blue" in 1924 made Mr. Gershwin an overnight and sensational star and had gained him a worldwide recognition. He had been my late parents' (and mine, too) favorite composer along with Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter. His harmonious collaboration with his brother, Ira Gershwin, had produced the most beautiful songs of all-time. They were the most prolific team of songwriters and their compositions have been recorded countless times by famous interpreters of Great American Songbook such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Tony Bennett, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Michael Feinstein, Natalie Cole, Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, Steve Tyrell, Diana Krall, John Pizzarelli, Michael Bublé and Chris Botti, among many others.

This CD is a musical treasure and one that I would strongly recommend not only to any Gershwin enthusiast but also to any new fan for this includes the original recording of "Rhapsody In Blue" from rare Piano Rolls. The sound quality is just terrific. It highlights two of his major works - "Rhapsody In Blue" (1924) and "An American In Paris" (1928). It also features some of his well-known popular songs and favorites of mine, my parents' theme songs "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "Embraceable You." It has been said that Mr. Gershwin functioned best and had written his very best compositions at 3 o'clock in the morning and when he finish eight bars that he likes, he can finish a chorus in a few minutes, like the songs "`S Wonderful" and "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off." This recording also includes "Swanee," "Walkin' The Dog," "Somebody Loves Me," and "Oh, Lady Be Good."

It's so amazing that he composed frequently and never run out of inspirations for writing melodic tunes that are so pleasing to the ears. He can write three to five songs in a single afternoon. When he completed the melody of a song, he gives it to Ira to write words to it. He was such a genius and played the piano by ear after a fashion, tapping out the tunes with a finger.

Not known to many, Mr. Gershwin had tried his hand at painting. I've seen a portrait of himself that he painted a year before his death from brain cancer, and I would say, it's a beautiful work of art, almost like a work of a professional painter. He could have been a great painter.

George Gershwin will always be remembered as one of the greatest 20th Century composers and his music will always linger in the hearts of music lovers like me who truly appreciate and enjoy fine music.

Average customer rating:

Gershwin Plays Rhapsody in Blue
George Gershwin
Manufacturer: Klavier
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003M57
Release Date: 1993-06-09

Tracks:

Rhapsody In Blue - George Gershwin
Swanee - G. Gershwin
That Certain Feeling - G. Gershwin
Tee-Oodle-Um-Bum-Bo From 'La La Lucille' - G. Gershwin
Kickin' The Clouds Away From 'Tell Me More' - G. Gershwin
Sweet And Low-Down From 'Tip Toes' - G. Gershwin
So Am I From 'Lady Be Good' - G. Gershwin
Drifting Along With The Tide From George White's 'Scandals Of 1921 - G. Gershwin
I Was So Young, You Were So Beautiful From 'Good Morning Judge' (1919) - G. Gershwin
Left All Alone Blues From 'The Night Boat' - Kern
Whip-Poor-Will From 'Sally' (1920) - Kern
Whose Baby Are You? From 'The Night Boat' (1920) - Kern
Rock-A-Bye Lullaby Land From 'Mammy' (1920) - Donaldson
For Your Country And My Country - Berlin (Gershwin & Erlebach)
Land Where The Good Songs Go - Kern
Some Sunday Morning - Whiting
Ain't You Comin' Back To Dixie - Whiting W

Average customer rating:

Poorly edited CD; dishonest?

Gershwin Plays Gershwin

Manufacturer: Tko Collectors
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004C8TU
Release Date: 2000-01-28

Tracks:

Rhapsody In Blue
That Certain Feeling
Left All Alone Again Blues
Grievin' For You
Lonesome Little Raindrop
Just Snap Your Fingers
Hanging Around With You
Strike Up The Band
Mademoiselle In New Rochelle
I Got Rhythm
Make Believe
Land Where The Good Songs Go
Some Sunday Morning
An American In Paris
Fascinatin' Rhythm

Album Details

A Unique Original Ember Album with a Number of Highly Collectable Bonus Tracks. Nine of the Recordings Are Taken from Original Piano Rolls While Three Tracks Feature a Rehearsal for the 'Strike Up the Band' Show in 1929.

Customer Reviews:

Poorly edited CD; dishonest?.......2001-08-26

Very poorly-edited CD; I can't believe that it was "Released by arrangement with the Gerorge Gershwin Estate", as the booklet states. Consider the following: Upon playing the CD for the first time, I noticed that Track 4, "Grievin' For You" was actually was the same as track 11, "Make Believe". Naturally, I was quite surprised that this error wasn't caught pre-release. I was also disappointed, since I was looking forward to hearing "Grievin' for you". Also, in the booklet it states that track 14, "An American in Paris", was recorded in 1928. I was hoping to hear a historical recording when in fact the track contains a stereo recording of the piece, and is thus in all likelihood a post-1957 recording. I wrote to the publisher of the CD, TKOMagnum, but have not received a response. Let the buyer beware!

Earl Wild plays Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue/Porgy & Bess/etc.

Average customer rating:

Astounding pianism -- just don't listen to it in one sitting

Earl Wild plays Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue/Porgy & Bess/etc.
George Gershwin , and Earl Wild
Manufacturer: Ivory
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000007NLC
Release Date: 1997-01-01

Tracks:

Rhap in Blue
Seven Virtuoso Etudes: The Man I Love
Seven Virtuoso Etudes: I Got Rhythm
Seven Virtuoso Etudes: Embraceable You
Seven Virtuoso Etudes: Fascinatin' Rhythm
Seven Virtuoso Etudes: Somebody Loves Me
Seven Virtuoso Etudes: Liza
Seven Virtuoso Etudes: Lady be Good
Grande Fant on Porgy and Bess
Three Plds for Pno: Pld I. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
Three Plds for Pno: Pld II. Andante con moto e poco rubato
Three Plds for Pno: Pld III. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso

Amazon.com

Earl Wild's first performance of Rhapsody in Blue was a live 1942 broadcast with Toscanini, which effectively typecast the young pianist as a Gershwin specialist. Three years later Wild was invited by Paul Whiteman (who premiered and first recorded the work with the composer at the keyboard) to participate in the work's first uncut recording, reissued for the first time here on CD. True, Glenn Osser's re-orchestration with an added 16-voice choir borders on kitsch; and Whiteman's conducting, though snappily paced, has the subtlety of an avalanche. Wild's breezy fingerwork and stylish flair, however, saves the day. The pianist serves up his own Seven Virtuoso Etudes on Gershwin songs and his Grande Fantasy on Porgy and Bess with slightly more dash and abandon in these 1976 recordings than his later Chesky remakes, and he delivers the Three Preludes with uncluttered directness. A delicious reissue. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Astounding pianism -- just don't listen to it in one sitting.......2005-03-20

This CD seems to overlap with another CD on the Chesky label. Both contain Earl Wild's Fantasy on Porgy and Bess and the seven Etudes based on Gershwin's music. This disc also has Rhapsody in Blue and Gershwin's Preludes.

Wild's pianistic facility is absolutely astonishing. He does some wonderful things with Gershwin's music. Highlights include "Embraceable You" and some of the sections of the Porgy and Bess Fantasy ("Summertime", "Bess, you is my woman now" and "It aint necessarily so" come to mind). He also plays the three Preludes with conviction and panache. However, Gershwin is not Chopin, and there is only so much one can mine from this music. If one tries to listen to this entire CD in one sitting, one can become aware of the piano as a percussion instrument. I am not certain if this is a function of the music (Gershwin), the pianist (Wild) or the recording (AAD). So often when I listen to a great pianist play solo work by Chopin, Liszt or Ravel, for example, I can lose myself in the music and virtually forget the medium. That doesn't happen with this recording for me.

Still, in small doses, this is an extraordinary disc, and I'm glad to own it.

Sweet and Low-Down - Richard Dowling plays George Gershwin

Average customer rating:

This guy is AMAZING!
He's Got Rhythm!
Richard Dowling has found teh Gershwin Way to play

Sweet and Low-Down - Richard Dowling plays George Gershwin

Manufacturer: Klavier
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005N9Z9
Release Date: 2001-07-01

Tracks:

Sweet and Low-Down
Looking for a Boy
Someone to Watch Over Me
That Certain Feeling
'S Wonderful/Funny Face
Maybe
Swanee
Clap Yo' Hands
Drifting Along with the Tide
"Andantino moderato" theme from Rhapsody in Blue
So Am I
Kickin' the Clouds Away
My One and Only
Prelude No. 1 in B-flat Major
Novelette in Fourths
Sleepless Night
Rubato
Promenade
Three-Quarter Blues
Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp Minor
Impromptu in Two Keys
Prelude No. 3 in E-flat Minor
I Got Rhythm
Oh, Lady Be Good!
Liza
Embraceable You
Somebody Loves Me
Fascinatin' Rhythm
The Man I Love

Album Description

American pianist Richard Dowling performs virtually all of Gershwin's original works for solo piano along with several new transcriptions of Gershwin improvisations from disc recordings and player piano rolls. Dowling transcribed several of the tracks himself including a world premiere of Gershwin's own three-minute rendition of the main theme of "Rhapsody in Blue." Rounding out the disc are Earl Wild's Seven Virtuoso Etudes on Themes by Gershwin.

Customer Reviews:

This guy is AMAZING!.......2002-12-08

I heard one of Dowling's concerts and he's awesome! I play this CD in my car and almost got a speeding ticket because of it. Richard really knows the Gershwin style. It's upbeat and a lot of fun to listen to over and over.

He's Got Rhythm!.......2001-08-31

Richard's got the most amazing fingers (and ears)! He's such a good pianist that you'll swear you're hearing old George playing himself. If you love music from 1920s and 30s New York, this is about as authentic as it gets. The Earl Wild pieces at the end will blow you away. You'll want to listen to this CD over and over because the music is happy and the execution is perfect.

Richard Dowling has found teh Gershwin Way to play.......2001-08-17

The masterful work displayed on this CD is a pleasure to listen to. The speed with which the keystrokes are perfectly executed is simply astounding. I have only had the CD for about a week and have enjoyed it completely many times.

Average customer rating:

Feyer's CD is a must have
One More Time
George Feyer Plays George Gershwin
George Feyer Plays George Gershwin
This is the happiest music making imaginable.

George Feyer Plays George Gershwin

Manufacturer: Vanguard Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000023DQ
Release Date: 1993-05-12

Tracks:

Someone To Watch Over Me - Love Walked In
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off - Somebody Loves Me - Soon
Fascinating Rhythm
Love Is Here To Stay - Mine - That Certain Feeling - Liza, All The Clouds'll Roll Away
An American In Paris (Excerpts)
I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise - How Long Has This Been Going On - Bidin' My Time
I Got Rhythm - Clap Yo' Hands - I've Got A Crush On You - Lady Be Good
The Man I Love
Summertime - It Ain't Necassarily So - Bess, You Is My Woman Now, I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
They Can't Take That Away From Me - He Loves And She Loves - Of Thee I Sing - Strike Up THe Band
Prelude No. 2
Who Cares - Swanee - Love Is Sweeping The Country
Embraceable You - But Not For Me
Do-Do-Do - Funny Face - Maybe - 'S Wonderful
A Foggy Day - Concerto In F (themes)
Rhapsody In Blue (Excerpts)

Customer Reviews:

Feyer's CD is a must have.......2007-01-28

So I purchase my Nano and then easily transfer much of my "must have" music library to the 8 Mega Black Nano. The Nano makes me want to hear all my music again as I work out, etc. I ordered "must have" Feyer's Gershwin from Amazon and was lucky to get the Gershwin CD. If only they could remaster all his works onto CDs at a lower price than the $100 plus I paid. Feyer is a top addition and it reminds me of the Stanhope days and his music magic that I wish to briefly tell you.

In the latter 70s, the Stanhope weekends were a joy, buttressed by Feyer's music. He held court and the audience was captivated. He was an excellent pianist with excellent trills in the high octaves, and nice contrast with the lower ones. The Gershwin CD the piece "I Got Rhythm" reminds one of small flames jumping lightly on a log. So light, so elegant, so much in rhythm. I would take my "A" dates to the Stanhope, including my future wife of 20 plus years. After the Met Opera or ballet, I would take my dates to the Stanhope. Usually two Kier Royals, supper, wine, and dessert would accompany George's fine music. Such a rich repertory and bottomless request well that he knew with top piano skill!

Missing on the CD was his singing and funny remarks. I recall him playing `Thank Heavens For Little Girls"... they are so helpless, and then he would pick some women from the audience and repeat the word " helpless' and the everyone would laugh. My dates were the younger women in the Stanhope back then and he tended to look at my dates.....and made them feel like a princess

The Stanhope was a bit expensive but a classy place. With George, it was worth every penny. I think Gunnar ( spelling?) was the head waiter. They knew you and you did not have to ask for a certain drink as they knew your need before your request. Unlike today, waiters are more of errand boys to the kitchens. George also knew your favorites in songs.

One thing that is not obvious, despite my Ivy MBA and a good undergraduate degree, one does not learn in early years the basic American songs of Porter, Gershwin, etc. Some of my dates knew many of the words to these songs from their social events. Hence for me it was a pleasant discovery and made me grateful to the mastery of George. It opened one's appreciation to the very rich music heritage of America.

The CD in ADD format was very clear; no his; and, the accompanying musicians were well heard in CD. Enjoy this CD!

One More Time.......2002-03-08

Anyone that likes solo piano, must have this one in their collection. Feyer was a superior pianist, and arranger. These are performances to LISTEN to. For alot less than a carton of ciggies, you can buy something good for you! Aloha

George Feyer Plays George Gershwin.......2001-04-21

Hours sped like minutes when sitting next to the keyboard of Feyer's Piano in the Stanhope. I only wish all of his albums could be re-released and a new generation might experience this rare talent. He played with consummate skill, gentle humor and a panache that I've been unable to find anywhere.

George Feyer Plays George Gershwin.......2000-12-26

This is undoubtedly one of the best recordings of popular Gershwin tunes. They are played with Feyer's european touch, but amazingly american in spirit. All his collections since 1951 ("Echoes of Paris", "Echoes of Broadway", "Echoes of Rome" etc.) should be re-mastered and released again, as well as his famous recordings collected in album "Cafe carlyle". It is a real music treasure.

This is the happiest music making imaginable........1999-10-24

It's been more than 40 years since I first ran across George Feyer's "Echoes..." series of recordings on the Vox label (Echoes of Paris, Echoes of Vienna, etc.) Every month I check to see if by some miracle these recordings have been reissued, but I doubt they ever will because of their original label. In the meantime we will make do with this excellent George Gershwin album, which seems to me to come closer to his old recordings than the other stereo-era Feyer recordings now available. But will some company out there PLEASE reissue his old mono VOX recordings and spread joy through the world!

Average customer rating:

Gershwin plays Gershwin
An Essential Gershwin Collection, Despite Variable Sound
The first disc especially is fantastic

Plays George Gershwin

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Tin Pan Alley | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000WW1
Release Date: 1994-03-22

Tracks:

Rhapsody In Blue
Hang On To Me
Fascinatin' Rhythm
The Half Of It Dearie Blues
I'd Rather Charleston
Sweet And Low Down
That Certain Feeling
Looking For A Boy
Looking For A Boy
Do-Do-Do
Do-Do-Do: Someone To Watch Over Me
Clap Yo' Hands
Maybe
My One And Only
Three Preludes
'Rhapsody In Blue': Andante
S' Wonderful & Funny Face
Rhapsody In Blue

Tracks:

An American In Paris
Porgy And Bess: It Ain't Necessarily So
Porgy And Bess: The Buzzard Song
Porgy And Bess: Scene: Summertime - Crapgame - A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
Porgy And Bess: Bess, You Is My Woman Now
Porgy And Bess: I Got Plenty O' Nuttin
Porgy And Bess: Where Is My Bess?
Porgy And Bess: Summertime
Porgy And Bess: My Man's Gone Now
Porgy And Bess: Concerto In F - Third Movement
Porgy And Bess: Song Medley With Chorus And Orchestra: I Got Rhythm & Of Thee I Sing

Amazon.com

The first of these two discs gathers all Gershwin's commercially issued discs as a pianist, including the two abridged Rhapsody in Blue traversals, Gershwin accompanying the Astaire siblings, and twelve solo sides. Hearing the composer play his own music is like getting your ears cleaned out from 75 years of interpretive maulings. Gershwin's crisp touch, clear-cut and unsentimental phrasing, and rhythmic verve comes through more convincingly in these flat discs than in his much-vaunted piano rolls. Also included are the composer-supervised first recordings of An American in Paris and selections from Porgy & Bess, along with a flawed yet revelatory aircheck of Gershwin playing the finale of his concerto. No Gershwin lover should be without this important collection. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Gershwin plays Gershwin.......2006-01-26

George Gershwin's best-selling recording was a 1924 acoustical, black seal Victor disc that reproduced the recent world premiere of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." The Paul Whiteman Orchestra, which actually a big band with a few strings added on occasion, joined the composer in an edited performance that was intended to fill two sides of a single 12-inch 78-rpm disc. By 1924 the acoustical process had been refined to its highest possible standards; already Victor and Columbia were among the companies experimenting with electrical recording and would begin releasing commercial discs the following spring.

Although one is disappointed with the cuts in the familiar "Rhapsody in Blue," what did make it onto the original disc is quite remarkable. It certainly gives the first clear indication of Gershwin's brilliant piano playing. No one would ever play Gershwin's music with more enthusiasm and ability than the composer himself. The Whiteman orchestra plays Ferde Grofe's original arrangement and gives a clear indication of what the February 1924 premiere must have sounded like, even if the sonics are somewhat limited by the acoustical process. Only three years later Victor reunited the same musicians with Gershwin for an electrical recording, using the same cuts.

Gershwin's numerous piano solos, sometimes including his friends Fred and Adele Astaire (who had introduced some of the Gershwin songs in his musical comedies), are amazing. His virtuoso piano playing astonishes us and, for the most part, the sound on these early electrical recordings is quite good. A single microphone was usually placed close to the grand piano, picking up the best possible sound of that time.

The world premiere recording of "An American in Paris" was made in 1929 for RCA Victor, using a hand-picked orchestra that was conducted by Nathaniel Shilkret, Victor's longtime musical director. Gershwin was on hand, supposedly to supervise the recording of the complete score, but he reportedly "got in the way" and was asked to leave the recording studio. Then it was recognized that there was no one on hand to play the celesta solo, so Gershwin was asked to return and play the brief but impressive passage that adds to the magical moments of this innovative score. Also included were the original Paris taxi horns that Gershwin had brought back with him in 1928 for the first performance.

Alexander Smallens conducted Metropolitan Opera stars Helen Jepson and Lawrence Tibbett and a professional orchestra in excerpts from Gershwin's latest musical triumph, "Porgy and Bess." Although the folk opera had not yet achieved its later great success, many recognized the innovations of this score and RCA Victor asked Gershwin to supervise the recording of some of the important songs from his opera in 1935. While some may question the use of white singers to sing in Negro dialect, particularly when the first performances used a mostly black cast, not even the Metropolitan Opera used black singers until 1955 when Marian Anderson made her long-awaited debut in Verdi's "A Masked Ball."

Finally, there is a tantalizing excerpt from the "Concerto in F" in a special arrangement for Rudy Vallee's radio program on NBC. Gershwin occasionally appeared on radio programs, even hosting his own 15-minute show in the early 1930's, and this is one of the few surviving examples of how Gershwin could dazzle both the studio audience and the millions tuning in on their radios. It is a wonderful moment.

An Essential Gershwin Collection, Despite Variable Sound.......2005-05-14

That Gershwin (1896-1937) died so young from a malignant brain tumor was a tragic loss to the world of music. Like Mozart and Schubert, who also died while still in their 30's, Gershwin was just hitting his stride at the time of his death. Unlike Mozart, he wrote no symphonies or chamber music, but like Schubert, he was one of the greatest song writers the world has ever known. And as the Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F clearly demonstrate, Gershwin was probably the greatest "cross-over" artist in American history.

This 2-disc Pearl CD set, as Amazon editorial reviewer Jed Distler points out, is an essential purchase for anyone who loves Gershwin's music. Pearl adheres to an "as is" philosophy of transferring old 78 rpm records to CD. This results in very immediate sound, but a lot of shellac noise comes along with it. With a little twiddling of your treble knob, these performances are very listenable and thoroughly enjoyable.

To my mind, just about everything here falls into the category of "definitive" performance. The 1924 Rhapsody In Blue has more joy and exhilaration than any other recording made (and Gershwin's piano playing is heard more clearly than in the 1927 electrical re-make, fine as it is). It was recorded just four months after the world premiere at Aeolian Hall in New York City. What an event that must have been! The audience included such luminaries as Rachmaninov, Kreisler & Sousa. When the performance was finished, the audience roared its approval with a standing ovation that lasted 20 MINUTES!

The songs with Fred Astaire and his sister Adele are utterly delightful, and Gershwin's solo piano playing strikes me as a far truer representation of his art than his notoriously unreliable piano rolls available elsewhere. "An American in Paris," conducted by Gershwin's boyhood chum Nathaniel Shilkret, is irresistable (Gershwin even plays the small parts for piano & celesta, and the car horns he brought back from Paris are used here).

The original 1935 "Porgy and Bess" excerpts, conducted by Alexander Smallens, are wonderful. Jepson is excellent, but the real star here is Lawrence Tibbett, to my taste the greatest operatic baritone America has ever produced. His enormous charm is complemented by fabulous diction - he's one of the very few "classical" singers whose every word is clearly understandable.

Gershwin never recorded a complete Concerto in F. For the best-ever version of that, you have to buy the Roy Bargas/Bix Beiderbecke/Paul Whiteman account on a Pearl CD called "Gershwin and Grofe," which also has the first-ever recordings of Grofe's Grand Canyon & Mississippi Suites (a lot of fun!). But here we get to hear the ONLY CD account of Gershwin himself playing just the 2nd mvt. from a 1933 Rudy Valle Show radio broadcast. It's fascinating and frustrating at the same time: a tantalizing fragment of what must have been a glorious interpretation.

The Concerto in F excerpt is UNIQUE to this CD - which makes it a MANDATORY purchase for Gershwin lovers. The Rhapsody (both versions), American in Paris, and the Porgy selections are also on Sony's "Historic Gershwin Recordings" in somewhat smoother transfers. The aforementioned Whiteman-conducted Concerto in F is also on a Sony CD called "From Gershwin's Time" (sadly, it's out of print - see my review).

CDs seem to have an alarmingly short shelf life these days, so grab this wonderful set while it's still available.

Very Highly Recommended.

The first disc especially is fantastic.......2001-04-03

For Gershwin collectors, the sides with the Astaires are essential. The Whiteman Rhapsody is also quite good. Some of the later material does NOT feature Gershwin on piano and has the feeling of filler. Still, I've gotten a lot of enjoyment from this collection.

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris; Gershwin Plays Gershwin

Average customer rating:

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris; Gershwin Plays Gershwin

Manufacturer: Bescol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000PCZBVQ

Product Description

1. Rhapsody in Blue~~~2. An American in Paris~~~3. Gershwin Plays Gershwin: Make Believe, Grieving For You, Land Where The Good Songs Go, Some Sunday Morning, Rhapsody in Blue.

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