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Brian Wilson Announces Re-Imagines Gershwin Tour
Legendary songwriter, producer, arranger and co-founder of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson returns to the UK in September 2011 for a string of dates. This follows a series of hugely celebrated concerts here between 2002-2007 including Pet Sounds in its entirety (2002), followed two years later by the live premiere of the fabled Brian Wilson Presents Smile (2004) and in 2007 Wilson performed the world premiere of That Lucky Old Sun (2007).
On this latest outing Brian Wilson will perform his latest critically-acclaimed album Brian Wilson Re-imagines Gershwin in its entirety, as well as classics from the Beach Boys back-catalogue.
Gershwin Classics Re-imagined:
Brian Wilson Re-imagines Gershwin (released by Disney Pearl in August 2010) is an album of George and Ira Gershwin classics that has already garnered rave reviews. With imaginative arrangements of some of the most widely known and recorded music in history, it includes an a capella arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue, songs from Porgy and Bess such as Summertime and It Ain’t Necessarily So as well as classic Gershwin compositions including They Can’t Take That Away From Me and I Got Rhythm.
Brian Wilson says: “I remember hearing Rhapsody in Blue and I was probably four or five years old and I was blown away… I just couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.”
Unpublished Gershwin:
In an unprecedented meeting of two musical geniuses, separated by 70 years, Brian Wilson Re-imagines Gershwin makes history with The Like in I Love You and Nothing But Love – two new songs Wilson crafted from previously unpublished music by Gershwin. The former is drawn from Will You Remember Me?, a song Gershwin composed in 1924 for the musical Lady, Be Good!, which never made it into the show. The latter is based on Say My Say, a 1929 song fragment the Gershwin brothers never fully completed.
Produced by Brian Wilson, mixed by multi-Grammy winner Al Schmidt and featuring his acclaimed, long-time band, the new album features Wilson’s trademark stacked vocal harmonies and orchestrations that made Wilson a towering and revered figure in popular music.
Brian Wilson says: “Along with Irving Berlin, Gershwin basically invented the popular song, but he did something more. He had a gift for melody that nobody has ever equalled, yet his music is timeless and always accessible. This is the most spiritual project I've ever worked on.”
Brian Wilson Re-imagines Gershwin – track listing:
01 Rhapsody in Blue /Intro
02 The Like in I Love You
03 Summertime
04 I Loves You Porgy
05 I Got Plenty of Nothin
06 It Ain't Necessarily So
07 'S Wonderful
08 They Can't Take That Away from Me
09 Our Love Is Here to Stay
10 I've Got a Crush on You
11 I've Got Rhythm
12 Someone to Watch Over Me
13 Nothing But Love
14 Rhapsody in Blue/Reprise
SEPTEMBER 2011
TUESDAY 13 MANCHESTER BRIDGEWATERHALL
WEDNESDAY 14 BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY HALL
FRIDAY 16 ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL LONDON
SATURDAY 17 ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL LONDON
SUNDAY 18 ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL LONDON
Tickets go on sale Friday 12th Nov at 9am for Manchester and Birmingham and are priced at £50/£45, and can be booked through link (all tickets subject to a booking fee) London tickets from link