David Gray
Tonight’s concert will be our three hundredth in the Fifty Years of season performances. It will be David Gray’s third performance in three of those seasons. Sadly, it will be David’s final performance as he returns to his first love the piano. I wish him well in his decision and know he will be missed by many. Perhaps in the future he may change his mind and make us happy again, just like he accomplished tonight!
David began the program with an amazing arrangement of Harry Warren’s 42nd Street from the Broadway musical of the same title which Dave jokingly omitted. It went over big.
The following was a novelty piano tune Nickel in the Slot composed by Zez Confrey who also composed Kitten on the Keys and have an easily confused sound, at least it was for me.
Up next, Dave’s first dedication of the evening was going to Anna, a local young lady that he met 10 years ago at the Royal Academy of Music in London with a very lovely arrangement of Stephen Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns from the 1973 show “A Little Night Music”. Small world, isn’t it?
The next dedication was to John Nelson, a long- time friend of George Wright and of David. The music is from the 1936 Rodgers and Hart Broadway musical “On Your Toes” and David played George Wright’s arrangement of Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.
This was followed by a very pretty and quite enjoyable piece by Maurice Durufle, Suite, Opus 5 Sicilienne.
For a change of pace, David chose a toe tapping, Jim Riggs arrangement of Reaching for Someone and Not Finding Anyone There. This was followed by a David Gray arrangement of Someday My Prince Will Come from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” the 1937 Disney classic. The music by Frank Churchill and lyricist Larry Morey.
Anything Goes Medley was the first medley of the evening. The musical was from 1934 and Cole Porter wrote an amazing number of hits to come from one show. Perhaps we should call it “A Cole Porter Medley”. The arrangements were also great by Dave of course and the list as played: a) Anything Goes b) You’re the Top c) All Through the Night d) Blow, Gabriel, Blow e) You’d Be So Easy to Love f) I Get a Kick Out of You and g) Anything Goes Reprise.
As a tribute to Brant Duddy, a staple here at Dickinson for all he has done and continues to do and for other organs as well and I almost forgot to include that today is his 91st birthday, as we all joined Dave on a special arrangement of one of the most played songs ever Happy Birthday to You.
Taking us into intermission, David performed the Eric Coates theme from the 1955 British war film “The Dam Busters”, Dam Buster March.
The second half of the concert began with a classical piece that I have not been able to determine either the composer or the title itself. So sorry, an explanation to follow at the end.
Up next, a quaint and lively tune by Frederic Curzon in 1940, Dance of an Ostracized Imp. Oblivion by Anthony Gonzalez was next and appears in a movie with the same title and starring
Tom Hanks. I didn’t see the movie, but David made the music.
The second medley is from the 1933 movie “The Gold Diggers of 1933” hence the title of the set is Medley from The Gold Diggers Movie. The music is by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Al Dubin. The music here is wonderfully played by David in the following order: a) We’re in the Money b) I’ve Got to Sing a Torch Song c) Shuffle Off to Buffalo d) Shadow Waltz and e) All’s Fair in Love and War.
As we near the end of this great show, the music just gets better and better and the next was one of his best arrangements tonight of the very entertaining St. Louis Blues (With a Twist). The song was written by W. C. Handy in 1914.
Hallelujah was composed in 1984 by Leonard Cohen and introduced tonight, as I’ve heard him do before, with a quote from his grandma, “Brings a tear to a glass eye.” Nicely said and nicely played.
Closing out the evening with a bang, sorry, couldn’t help myself, the 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Need I say more, standing ovations all around.
There was a grand Encore and I know I’ve heard it before but was unable to get that information from David and it seems like we were all being rushed out at the end. The piece was all that I had expected but not the way I wanted to end one of my last reviews. Do
hope to catch him again somewhere, I didn’t even have time to tell him how much I loved the concert.