Excavating Gershwin

In the roaring 1920s , violin , but Heifetz , made in a sparkling violin and Joshua Bell contributed of his
George Gershwin , then violin arrangements of five orchestra version by an own embellishments to the a sleek young Broadway “Porgy and Bess” songs . arranger , William David violin part, including a small songwriter , was invited Brohn. The piano solo in cadenza leading to the finale. to the swellest New York Those arrangements trace the middle of the tune is parties . To the delights of a direct line from Gershwin played by Gershwin himself his hosts , he’d head straight to Joshua Bell , one of who in his younger days had This “Fantasy” is a treat. for the piano and play his America’s leading young earned money by recording Listen , right at the start songs for hours. Sometimes violinists , and the violin more than a hundred songs to Bell playing “It Ain’t he’d look up and see another soloist on this recording. on player piano rolls , starting Necessarily So” , coloring frequent guest , Jasha Heifetz , with other people’s music and the familiar tune with little the stunning violin virtuoso , And John Williams , famous finishing , once he was famous , insinuating turns and swirls. who himself was quite the both for his film scores and with his own. This is a