4/5. The Depression Years
Donald Macleod charts George Gershwin 's career in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929, when audiences were ever more willing to escape the hardships of daily life via a Broadway show such as Girl Crazy.
Gershwin also succumbed to the allure of the financial rewards offered by Hollywood.
However, in spite of a comfortable existence in a Spanish-style Beverly Hills mansion,
Gershwin's time in Tinseltown didn't hold the same appeal as his hometown, and he was soon back in New York for the premiere of a symphonic piece entitled Second Rhapsody. Embraceable You (Girl Crazy)
Judy Blazer (Molly), David Carroll (Danny), orchestra conducted by John Mauceri / Got Rhythm Variations
Morton Gould and his Orchestra
Second Rhapsody Los Angeles PO. conductor Michael Tilson-Thomas (piano) Of Thee I Sing, Act 1 (Finale)
Larry Kert , Maureen McGovern , Paige O'Hara and Caspar Roos (singers), New York Choral Artists, Orchestra of St Luke's, conductor Michael Tilson-Thomas
Cuban Overture Montreal Symphony Orchestra, conductor Charles Dutoit Repeated on Wednesday at 12 midnight