The story of George Gershwin, from his early days in Brooklyn New York, to his early death (1937) in Los Angeles. He was a pianist, leaving school at 15 to work as a ‘song plugger’, and his music ranged from his biggest success ‘Swanee’ (1919) to his commercial failure ‘Porgy and Bess’ (1935).
His influences were Ravel, Debussy, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and other classical musicians. We will visit his Hollywood original scores, ‘Delicious’, ‘Shall We Dance’ and ‘A Damsel in Distress’, as well as his orchestral music including ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘An American in Paris’.
Gershwin’s composing career spanned Spanish Flu, Prohibition and the Great American Depression, and he believed that "true music must reflect the thought and aspirations of the people and time. My people are Americans. My time is today.”
90m
Sat 23 July 12:00
Tickets £6.50 (Friends/Students £5)
