Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra fascinates with celebration of George Gershwin

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, as part of their 2023-2024 PNC Pops season, brought a heavy dose of “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” to Heinz Hall on Friday night with their Gershwin celebration.

This selection comes in what would be the 125th year of George Gershwin’s life. Gershwin, in some ways the quintessential 20th century American composer, is known for standards like “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone To Watch Over Me,” as well as compositions like “Rhapsody in Blue.” He wrote music for Broadway musicals like “Funny Face” and operas like “Porgy and Bess.” Gershwin’s influence reverberates down through generations, and his tunes are still a pleasure to listen to in the modern age.

“Fascinatin’ Rhythm: A Gershwin Celebration” runs all weekend at Heinz Hall, and is a joyous journey through many of the composer’s classics.

Byron Stripling, principal Pops conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, really made this program something special to behold. Not only did he conduct Friday night’s performance, he also played trumpet, sang and guided the audience through the evening with some fascinating insights (and pretty good jokes).

“This, to me, is the American dream,” he said as he introduced the audience to the life of Gershwin, who was born in New York City to Russian Jewish immigrant parents.

The Symphony started the evening off with a bang, with the bombastic compostion “Strike Up the Band” from the musical of the same name. Any audience member who started out uncertain about coming out amid such bad weather would’ve been convinced by the opening.

Another evening highlight came in the form of singer Sydney McSweeney. She came floating onto the stage in a sapphire blue gown and provided vocals for a number of songs, and her presence was a perfect complement to Gershwin’s timless music.

McSweeney possesses the kind of voice that never goes out of style. Reminiscent of Eartha Kitt on some of the upbeat, jazzier songs, her lush and lovely vocals really shone in ballads like “Someone To Watch Over Me” and duets like “A Foggy Day,” which she sang with Stripling.

Stripling’s smooth voice also paired perfectly with the evening’s jazz standards. He was especially impressive in the several moments where he played trumpet and sang during the same song, even adding some improvisational scatting into a few numbers that drew applause from the crowd.

Ultimately, everyone was there to see the orchestra, and they didn’t disappoint, every instrument melding together to bring Gershwin’s music to vivid life onstage. A highlight was jazz bass player Jeffrey Grubbs, who had a number of solos that had toes audibly tapping in the audience.

As everyone returned from intermission, the new presence of a concert grand piano onstage signaled that the second half of the evening would include one of Gershwin’s masterpieces, “Rhapsody in Blue.” The instrumental composition, played by a solo piano player and the wider orchestra, served as the program’s grand finale — and grand it was.

The player who sat at that grand piano was Charlie Albright, and he played the classical-jazz fusion of the piece nimbly and impressively. Every time the orchestra came roaring back in, it felt a bit like a Fourth of July fireworks display, and the audience gave Albright and the orchestra a standing ovation at the composition’s end.

To close the evening, Albright played an encore in the form of an electrifying rendition of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire.” Finally, he and Stripling performed “Summertime,” the most famous song from Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess,” with Stripling beginning on trumpet and finishing with soulful vocal accompaniment.

“Fascinatin’ Rhythm: A Gershwin Celebration” lived up to its name. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra truly celebrated and honored the music of the legendary composer with an engaging and entertaining performance.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will hold two more performances of “Fascinatin’ Rhythm: A Gershwin Celebration,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, both at Heinz Hall. For tickets and more information, visit pittsburghsymphony.org.