For this fourth volume of his series Jack Gibbons has turned to the Hollywood films the Gershwins were involved in from 1931 until George’s death only six years later. The soundtracks provide quite a lot of material not otherwise published or available and these arrangements are different from those used elsewhere. Gershwin himself was largely responsible for them so it was a good idea to add this source to the existing Gershwin in circulation.
After all the superlatives the series seems to have gathered, this release is a disappointment. The much abused word ‘authentic’ is here rather dubious. Authentic Gershwin – and it’s utterly scintillating – can be found on the two sets of his piano rolls (Nonesuch, 4/94 and 4/96) transcribed on the Yamaha Disklavier. Here is everything one associates with Gershwin’s playing: impeccable rhythm, lightness of touch, not too much sostenuto pedal and an infectious mood of melodic enjoyment. By comparison Gibbons’s arrangements seem heavy and sometimes overloaded, an impression which is not helped by the recording. The old piano rolls were often artificially expanded so that they sounded like duets. At some points Gibbons emulates this practice but the texture comes out thick. Even when he’s playing the sheet music straight, as in “A Foggy Day” or “By Strauss”, the result is insensitive compared with Alicia Zizzo (Carlton Classics, 6/97), who has also claimed authenticity for her new editions. But “Walking the Dog” (track 5) – also known as “Promenade” – is a case where Gibbons’s detective work pays off. This little piece, from Shall We Dance, was apparently written down from memory by a rehearsal pianist when the score seemed lost and published in that simpler form. Here we presumably get what is in the original soundtrack for comparison.
There’s a real zest about Gibbons’s rumbustious playing, but I’m afraid these recordings leave me longing for more of Gershwin’s own piano rolls on that Disklavier.'