Rhapsody in Blue Screening

When George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was first performed–  its composer was 26 years old– and it was a stunning piece. Today it is one of the 10 most performed works of the 21st Century.

The opening phrase of Rhapsody in Blue may be the most recognizable 17 notes in American music. A clarinet trills, gliding upwards in a jazzy arc, then falls in two swaggering notes. The original clarinetist, Ross Gorman, decided to make the phrase “smear,” running the notes together in one continuous swoop. Gershwin loved the effect so much he added it to the score.

This screening of the 1945 film dramatization of George Gershwin’s life, Rhapsody in Blue, is a film nominated for two Oscars, written by Howard Koch (the deft screenwriter of Casablanca). It tells Gershwin’s life as a tale of a driven composer whose innate need to produce memorable works disrupts relationships with the women in his life– not that work ever interfered with Gershwin’s attractiveness to women. Watching a biographical film packed with guest artists who played real roles in Gershwin’s life humanizes Gershwin’s great talent.

Join us on Wednesday, July 29 for a prompt 7 pm start. Tickets may be purchased here at $10 for students 14-22 year old, $15 for adults (plus a handling fee) – and free for those who have donated to La Senora at certain levels. Light refreshments served.