Robert Wyatt Presents "Gershwin, by George!" at Eventide Arts in Dennis, MA

Pianist and Gershwin authority Robert Wyatt presented an engaging program on George Gershwin's life and legacy at Eventide Arts in Dennis, MA on November 1 and 2. The evening included live performance of the solo version of Rhapsody in Blue, early and unpublished music, piano improvisations, and classic Gershwin hits. The program also featured archival recordings of Gershwin’s early-1930s radio program, Music by Gershwin.  

Wyatt drew a large audience in the midst of a 'Noreaster and delighted his guests with a fascinating music lecture and recital. The end of World War I signaled the beginning of a new and distinctively American era of prosperity, changing morals and manners, and a deepening fascination with all types of popular entertainment. Celebrities like John Barrymore, Fanny Brice, Babe Ruth, and Mary Pickford, dominated the newspapers, airwaves, and magazines. With a runaway hit song called “Swanee” in 1919, a young Brooklyn-born composer named George Gershwin joined them in the spotlight. For nearly two decades, his fame and musical output would grow meteorically, catapulting him to international acclaim before his tragic death in 1937.