George Gershwin
George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose music spanned popular song, Broadway and the classical concert hall, leaving melodies that remain widely known.
Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, and the opera Porgy and Bess.
Most of his vocal and theatrical writing, including more than a dozen Broadway shows, was done with his elder brother, the lyricist Ira Gershwin. He composed for both the Broadway stage and the classical concert hall, and his popular songs carried that music to a still wider public.
His scores have been used widely in film and on television. Many of the songs became jazz standards, taken up in countless arrangements by singers and instrumentalists.
Compositions by George Gershwin appear on
Porgy & Bess Fantasy: Music for Two Pianos
In the early 1980s two of Australia’s finest pianists joined forces in masterpieces of the piano-duet literature. The set draws on concert and studio sessions from a period when such collaborations were still readily captured.
Cafe Fiddle
After the success of his Tall Poppies Brahms sonatas with Milton Kaye, Australian violinist Ben Breen reunited with the veteran pianist for a second disc. Recorded near the end of Kaye’s life, it became the last chapter in the accompanist’s long recording career.