When speaking about the art of rhythm, lyrics and musical scoring, never let it be said that a George Gershwin song doesn’t deliver the goods. This composition and piano delivery was the king of creation in one of the America’s most popular musical eras, ubiquitously known as Tin Pan Alley, which flourished in New York at the end of the 19th century right up to the 1930s. Gershwin’s songs were so successful throughout that era of musical theater, ragtime and ballads that they are still performed today to sold-out houses worldwide. His opera, “Porgy and Bess,” along with his jazzy “Rhapsody in Blue,” ushered in a new style of American popular music.
What better time for “A Gershwin Celebration” than tonight at the Music Center at Strathmore? The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of guest conductor Carl Topilow, along with lead soprano Kishna Davis and pianist Terrence Wilson, present a jazz-filled program devoted to classic Gershwin music that includes his iconic “Rhapsody in Blue.”
| ONSTAGE |
| A Gershwin Celebration |
| » Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| » When: 8 p.m. Thursday |
| » Info: $25 to $45, call 410-783-8000 or 877.BSO.1444, bsomusic.org for more information and Baltimore performances |
“I didn’t understand the depth of Gershwin until I performed the roll of Bess,” said Davis, a full lyric soprano who is widely acclaimed throughout the United States and Europe for her performances in opera, with orchestras and as a solo concert artist. “His songs require energy; The energy literally has to start before the downbeat of the 20th bar before that downbeat. He gives you that energy in his music. Think of ‘Strike up the Band.’ The variation he has put in his music is mind-boggling.”
Davis, who says her favorite Gershwin tune is “The Man I Love,” will be singing such nuggets as “Somebody Loves Me,” “Love Walked In” and “Stairway to Paradise.” Her hauntingly lyrical version of “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess” promises to be a second-act sparkler.
“You know, I’ll sing with the hard-core, solid technique I was so blessed to learn under Dr. Nathan Carter at Morgan State University [and] at Julliard,” she said. “But when you sing Gershwin — girlfriend, you’ve got to tell the story, you’ve got to make it come alive.”
