May 17, 1995

Contact: Helen Dalrymple (202) 707-1940

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Library of Congress Premieres New Gershwin Work at May 24 and 25 Concerts

Gala Honors Leonore S. Gershwin

The Library of Congress will premiere a new Gershwin concert work, a suite for piano and orchestra, at the gala all-Gershwin concert at the Warner Theatre on May 24 and May 25. The concerts are dedicated to Music Division patron Leonore S. (Mrs. Ira) Gershwin.

The untitled work features several of the Gershwin brothers' hitherto unknown songs, which had been preserved by Ira Gershwin in his archives. Andrew Litton, music director of the Dallas Symphony and for this special Gershwin concert, and producer/director Tommy Krasker, archivist for the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts, offered several of the manuscripts to renowned orchestrator Sid Ramin. Mr. Ramin, whose theatrical credits include `West Side Story' and `Gypsy', chose seven of these pieces and fashioned them into this latest Gershwin concert suite.

"'S Wonderful! The Library of Congress Celebrates the George and Ira Gershwin Collection" will be presented at 8 p.m., May 24 and 25, at Washington's newly restored Warner Theatre. The same program will be presented on both nights. All the tickets for the May 25 concert were distributed to the public, free of charge, during a previously announced giveaway at the Warner Theatre box office on May 15.

The "'S Wonderful!" program combines many best-loved standards with little-known gems. Several Gershwin favorites such as "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and "Love Is Here to Stay" will be heard in their original orchestrations. Others, including "Fascinatin' Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Do, Do, Do," will receive their first stage performances in arrangements created for the celebrated Roxbury Recordings/Warner Elektra Nonesuch series of vintage Gershwin musical reconstructions.

The concert will also unveil several unknown Gershwin songs, many housed in the Music Division of the Library of Congress. These include "Evening Star," a rare Gershwin waltz dropped from the brothers' first stage hit, `Lady, Be Good!', and a trio of songs from the Gershwins' delightful -- yet rarely heard -- 1925 show `Tell Me More', to be recorded by the Library of Congress in its entirety in the fall of 1995.

Conductor Andrew Litton heads a roster of stars: two-time Grammy award-winning soprano Dawn Upshaw and singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli are special guest artists, with Philip A. Chaffin, Shawn Daywalt, David Garrison, Audra McDonald, Lara Teeter, Wanda Richert and the Gershwin Gala Chorus. The gala will be directed and produced for the Library of Congress by Tommy Krasker.

The Library of Congress will produce "'S Wonderful!" for a 90- minute public radio broadcast, scheduled for nationwide distribution as a July 4th special by Public Radio International.

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PR 95-079
5/17/95
ISSN 0731-3527