For his first celebration of MGM musicals, John Wilson gathered together nearly six hours of music, most of which had to be cut. So, as he explained to a packed Symphony Hall, this brand-new programme was made up of leftovers. “But it’s first rate stuff, there’s no rubbish”.
Indeed not. With songs of such calibre as You Made Me Love You, You Were Meant For Me and The Girl Next Door and punchy duets like A Couple Of Swells from Easter Parade it was a splendid selection.
The choice and flow of items was also well considered. Love and the vastly superior Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man Of Mine from Show Boat made for Anna-Jane Casey a beautifully sung pair of romantic solos; and Matthew Ford’s effortless I Love You, Samantha, with ace trumpeter Michael Lovatt providing a wonderful authentic-sounding Satchmo solo, segued perfectly out of the High Society Overture.
And then there was the John Wilson Orchestra itself. This stunning premier league ensemble of the finest orchestral and band musicians in the business made the various arrangements, especially those of the brilliant Conrad Salinger, sound quite sumptuous – and often very exciting.
Typical of Wilson’s meticulous attention to programming he left the best until last, with a scintillating, poised account of the ballet from Gershwin’s An American in Paris that would not have been out of place in any concert setting. Here, it topped everything.
Even better, it’s all being repeated on November 29.
