Composer of the Week: George Gershwin > Radio Documentary


Recording Details

Date
2006
Type
Noncommercial Audio / Documentary
Method
Studio
Language
English
Location
England / London
Group/Studio
BBC Radio 3
Music
George Gershwin (857)
Lyrics
Ira Gershwin (709), DuBose Heyward (106)
Performer
Donald McLeod (8) — host
Notes
Gershwin started life in the music business as a song-plugger on Tin Pan Alley, becoming a fine pianist into the bargain. Donald Macleod begins by looking at the songs that established his reputation as a composer of popular songs and the work with which he crossed the threshold of the concert hall for the first time.

It was not long before George Gershwin and his brother Ira conquered Broadway, and George went on to win the hearts of the public - if not the critics - in the concert hall. Donald Macleod introduces the show that reinforced the brothers' reputation and the concerto with which Gershwin attempted to prove his worth as a serious composer.

Donald Macleod introduces Gershwin's evocation of the sights and sounds of Paris and the Broadway show that was saved from obscurity by the Wall Street Crash. Next he looks at the first all-Gershwin concert was staged in 1932 at the Lewisohn Baseball Stadium, playing to a huge crowd.

Finally, Donald Macleod introduces what was to be Gershwin's final concert work, his first and only opera, and some of the most memorable songs from the final years of his life.

This is the first time that Composer of the Week has looked at Gershwin; this is a different programme from Composer of the Week: George Gershwin [2011 Radio Documentary].
Shortcode
[r29460]

Releases (2)

Format
5-Radio Broadcast
Label
BBC Radio 3
Released
2006-12-01
Country
UK
Notes
Original 5-episode broadcast featuring full-length musical excerpts
# Tracks
5
Length
5:00:00
Lists
0 collectors / 1 wish list
History
1 Revisions
Shortcode
[rl47224]
1. New York
2. Young, Rich and Famous
3. Broadway
4. The Depression Years
5. Hollywood and an opera
Format
Audio File
Label
BBC Radio 3
Released
2006
Country
UK
Notes
Podcast version featuring heavily abridged musical excerpts from the original 5 programmes
# Tracks
1
Length
01:08:15
Lists
3 collectors / 0 wish lists
History
1 Revisions
Shortcode
[rl47219]
1. George Gershwin

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