Christodora House
On Saturday 21 March 1914, George performed in his first concert as a pianist and composer. He was third on the programme, playing a tango which sounded like the song, ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ at the beginning. Then after another item featuring a dialogue, he played again, this time for a singer, Chas Rose. This was a short concert for the Finley Club, a literary society to which Ira belonged. It took place at the Christadora House at Avenue B and 9th Street.
Aeolian Hall
On 1 November, 1923 George accompanied Eva Gauthier in a selection of some of his songs at the Aeolian Hall, 34 West 43rd Street. It was quite a revolution at the time to present popular songs alongside music by Bellini, Purcell, Hindemith and Bartok.
While rehearsing these songs for a repeat concert to be held in Boston, Paul Whiteman, the bandleader, asked George to write a piece for a concert he was producing to showcase modern American music. George forgot all about this until Ira saw a newspaper article about the concert on 4 January – just five weeks from the concert date of 12 February. George started work on the piece, and made the deadline, with the help of Paul Whiteman’s orchestrator, Ferde Grofe. Ira changed its title from American Rhapsody to ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.
Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York, Theatrical Personalities Files
The Aeolian Hall was packed with people from all different artistic worlds – from vaudeville to opera, Tin Pan Alley songwriters to symphonic conductors and composers, some even standing. The Rhapsody was the penultimate piece in a very long concert in the overheated hall, but the audience absolutely loved it.
After the concert, Victor Herbert hosted a dinner at the Lamb’s Club for Paul Whiteman, George and others. This is at 132 West 44th Street between 6th and Broadway.
Carnegie Hall
After the success of the concert, and especially the Rhapsody, George went on tour with Paul Whiteman, a tour which began with Carnegie Hall on 21 April. With its 2,800 seats, Carnegie was larger than the Aeolian Hall and more prestigious. In December 1925, George was back there again, this time as the soloist in his Concerto in F, a piece which he had now had the time to orchestrate himself.
Roosevelt Hotel
On 4 December 1926, the Peruvian singer, Marguerite d’Alvarez gave a recital at the Roosevelt Hotel on Madison Avenue at 45th Street, including some Gershwin songs accompanied by George. He also played some piano solos in this concert and the tour that followed, including a two-piano arrangement of the Rhapsody and five piano preludes.
Lewisohn Stadium
Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York, Theatrical Personalities Files
This was a football stadium converted to a concert hall for eight weeks during the summer. It was on Amsterdam Avenue between 136th and 138th Streets by the City College. George played there for the first time on 26 July in 1927, in a concert that had one of the largest audiences ever at the Stadium, 18,000 people. He played here nearly every summer until 1936, making his conducting debut in 1929 with An American in Paris.
The Stadium was demolished in 1973, although the concerts were discontinued in the ’60s as attendance diminished. I saw a couple of the old City College buildings and a playing field where I think the stadium had been.
University Club
In 1925, George let the violinist, Samuel Dushkin, arrange two of his short piano pieces – Rubato and Novelette in Fourths into a piece for violin and piano. Dushkin performed this piece called Short Story, at his recital on 8 February 1925 at the University Club, 1 W54th Street at 5th Avenue.
City Center
In November 1929, George conducted An American In Paris at the City Center at 131 West 55th Street, then called the Mecca Temple.
Gershwin in New York 