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Historic Two-piano Wizardry - Morley & Gearhart Rediscovered


Release Date: 09/18/2001 
Label:  Ivory Classics   Catalog #: 72004   Spars Code: ADD 
Composer:  George Gershwin,  Jerome Kern,  Irving Berlin,  Richard Rodgers,   ... 
Performer:  Virginia Morley,  Livingston Gearhart
Number of Discs: 2 
Recorded in: Mono 
Length: 2 Hours 5 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews

From 1940 until 1954, the two-piano team of Virginia Morley and Livingston Gearhart enjoyed wide popularity with concert, radio, and nightclub audiences. Both were scholarship students of Robert Casadesus and Nadia Boulanger when they met in Paris in 1937. A professional and personal relationship ensued, ending in 1954 with the couple's divorce. Their programs encompassed repertoire from duo-piano classics to Gearhart's own two-piano arrangements of popular and concert music fare. Gearhart's concert music transcriptions generally remain faithful to the original source, although there are plenty of elaborations and added intricacies that will surely tickle even the most jaded ears. Having the advantage of two more hands, Gearhart recasts Read more Chopin's Minute Waltz in breathtaking thirds and adds all sorts of buzzing insects to Rimsky K's fabled bumblebee flight. On the other hand, Gearhart opts for a shorter tour through Strauss' Rosenkavalier Waltzes than Otto Singer provides in his better-known arrangement.


Purists might regret that Gershwin's An American in Paris and the Finale of his F major Concerto are pruned to half their sizes, yet the cuts, though unecessary, do make musical sense. So do the discreet truncations within the Blue Danube Waltz and Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody. Popular tunes like All the Things You Are, Limehouse Blues, April in Paris, Russian Lullaby, Stormy Weather, Body and Soul, and Goodnight Ladies (among others) are jam-packed with slippery harmonic twists and turns that resemble two Art Tatums breaking bread with Poulenc and Milhaud, and perhaps imbibing a wee bit in the process. "Straight" classical pieces like the Arensky Waltz, eight Brahms Waltzes, and Tailleferre's gorgeous La Tirelitentaine are served up with incandescent flair and absolutely seamless ensemble values. All I can say is that some extraordinary piano duo wizardry awaits you on this fascinating and truly fun release.
--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com Read less

Works on This Recording

1.
Girl Crazy: I got rhythm by George Gershwin
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1930; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
2.
Very Warm for May: All the Things You Are by Jerome Kern
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1939; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
3.
Russian Lullaby by Irving Berlin
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1927; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
4.
Spring is Here: With a song in my heart by Richard Rodgers
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1929; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
5.
Stormy weather by Harold Arlen
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1933; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
6.
Kitten on the Keys by Zez Confrey
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1921; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
7.
Pièce en forme de Habañera by Maurice Ravel
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1907; France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
8.
Nocturnes (3) for Orchestra: no 2, Fêtes by Claude Debussy
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1897-1899; France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
9.
El amor brujo: Dance of Terror by Manuel de Falla
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1914-1915; Spain 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
10.
Preludes (10) for Piano, Op. 23: no 5 in G minor, Alla marcia by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1901; Russia 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
11.
Hungarian Rhapsodies (19) for Piano, S 244: no 2 in C sharp minor by Franz Liszt
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1847; Hungary 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
12.
Three blind mice by Traditional
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Written: USA 
 Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
13.
An American in Paris by George Gershwin
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1928; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
14.
Concerto for Piano in F major: 3rd movement, Allegro Agitato by George Gershwin
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1925; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
15.
Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59: Waltz(es) by Richard Strauss
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1909-1910; Germany 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
16.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 6 in C sharp major by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos 3, 5, 4, 10, 16, 8 and 7, all from Op 39. 
17.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 3 in G sharp minor by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos
6, 5, 4, 10, 16, 8 and 7, all from Op 39. 
18.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 5 in E major by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos
3, 6, 4, 10, 16, 8 and 7, all from Op 39. 
19.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 4 in E minor by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos
3, 5, 6, 10, 16, 8 and 7, all from Op 39. 
20.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 10 in G major by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos
3, 5, 4, 6, 16, 8 and 7, all from Op 39. 
21.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 16 in C sharp minor by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos
3, 5, 4, 10, 6, 8 and 7, all from Op 39. 
22.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 8 in B flat major by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos
3, 5, 4, 10, 16, 6 and 7, all from Op 39. 
23.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 7 in C sharp minor by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: This selection shares a track and timing with Brahms's Waltzes nos
3, 5, 4, 10, 16, 8 and 6, all from Op 39. 
24.
Mouvements perpétuels (3) by Francis Poulenc
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1918; France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
25.
Suite for 2 Pianos no 1 in F major, Op. 15: 2nd movement, Waltz by Anton Arensky
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: Russia 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
26.
Frenesi by Alberto Dominguez
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1940 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
27.
Shylock Suite, Op. 57: no 3, Nocturne by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1889; France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
28.
April in Paris by Vernon Duke
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1932; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
29.
Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1927; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
30.
An der schönen, blauen Donau, Op. 314 by Johann Strauss Jr.
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1867; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
31.
The Red Poppy, Op. 70: Russian Sailors' Dance by Reinhold Gliere
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1926-1927; USSR 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
32.
Mountain Tune by Wendell Keeney
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: by 1936; USA 
 Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
33.
Limehouse Blues by Philip Braham
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1922; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
34.
Jeux de plein air: La Tirelitentaine by Germaine Tailleferre
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1918; France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
35.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39: no 15 in A flat major by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1865; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
36.
Gaîté Parisienne: Can-can from "Orphée aux enfers" by Jacques Offenbach
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart
'Gaîté Parisienne' is a pastiche of various works by Jacques Offenbach, selected and arranged as a ballet score by Manuel Rosenthal. 
37.
Tale of Tsar Saltan: Suite, Op. 57 - Flight of the bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1903; Russia 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
38.
No, No, Nanette: Tea for Two by Vincent Youmans
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1925; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
39.
Waltzes (3) for Piano, B 164/Op. 64: no 1 in D flat major "Minute Waltz" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1846-1847; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
40.
Nola by Felix Arndt
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1916; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
41.
Baby Boogie by Livingston Gearhart
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1948; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
42.
El amor brujo: Danza rituel del fuego "Ritual Fire Dance" by Manuel de Falla
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1914-1915; Spain 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
43.
Musical snuffbox, Op. 32 by Anatole Liadov
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: by 1893; Russia 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
44.
Parlez-moi d'amour by Jean Neuburger
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart
This work was written under the pseudonym Jean Lenoir. 
45.
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Jesu bleibet meine Freude "Jesu, joy of man's desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: Baroque 
Written: 1723; Leipzig, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
46.
Love for Three Oranges: March, Op. 33b no 1 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1922; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
47.
Háry János, Op. 15: Suite - no 2, Viennese Musical Clock by Zoltán Kodály
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1927; Hungary 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
48.
Orgelbüchlein: In dir ist Freude, BWV 615 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: Baroque 
Written: circa 1713-1717; Weimar, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
49.
Body and Soul by John Waldo Green
Performer:  Livingston Gearhart (Piano), Virginia Morley (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 
50.
Goodnight Ladies by Egbert Anson Van Alstyne
Performer:  Virginia Morley (Piano), Livingston Gearhart (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1911; USA 
 Date of Recording: 1947-54 
Notes: Arranged: Livingston Gearhart 

Sound Samples

Three Blind Mice (arr. L. Gearhart)
Waltzes from R. Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Op. 59, TrV 227
El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) (arr. L. Gearhart): El amor brujo (Love, the Magician): Dance of Terror (arr. L. Gearhart)
Very Warm for May: All the Things You Are (arr. L. Gearhart)
16 Waltzes, Op. 39 (version for piano duet): 16 Waltzes, Op. 39: Nos. 1-8 (version for piano duet)
3 Mouvements perpetuels: No. 1. Assez modere (arr. L. Gearhart)
Girl Crazy: I Got Rhythm (arr. L. Gearhart)
Frenesi (arr. L. Gearhart)
Suite No. 1 in F major, Op. 15: II. Valse
An American in Paris: An American in Paris (arr. L. Gearhart)
Russian Lullaby (arr. L. Gearhart)
Shylock, Op. 57: V. Nocturne (arr. L. Gearhart)
Piano Concerto in F major: III. Allegro con brio (arr. L. Gearhart)
Walk a Little Faster: April in Paris (arr. L. Gearhart)
Stardust (arr. L. Gearhart)
An der schonen, blauen Donau (The Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314 (arr. L. Gearhart)
Rapsodie espagnole: III. Habanera (arr. L. Gearhart)
The Red Poppy Suite, Op. 70: VI. Russian Sailor's Dance (arr. L. Gearhart)
Mountain Tune (arr. L. Gearhart)
Limehouse Blues (arr. L. Gearhart)
Tirelitentaine (arr. for 2 pianos)
16 Waltzes, Op. 39 (version for piano duet): 16 Waltzes, Op. 39: No. 15 in A flat major (version for piano duet)
Orphee aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld): Can-Can (arr. L. Gearhart)
Tale of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57: Flight of the Bumblebee (arr. L. Gearhart)
No, No, Nanette: Tea for Two (arr. L. Gearhart)
Waltz No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, "Minute" (arr. L. Gearhart)
Nocturnes: No. 2. Fetes (arr. L. Gearhart)
Nola, "A Silhoutte for the Piano" (arr. L. Gearhart)
Baby Boogie
El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) (arr. L. Gearhart): El amor brujo (Love, the Magician): Ritual Fire Dance (arr. L. Gearhart)
Muzikal'naya tabakerka (A Musical Snuffbox), Op. 32 (arr. L. Gearhart)
19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, S244/R106: No. 2 in C sharp minor (arr. L. Gearhart)
Parlez-moi d'amour (arr. L. Gearhart)
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Chorale: Jesu, bleibet meine Freude (Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring) (arr. L. Gearhart)
10 Preludes, Op. 23: No. 5 in G minor: Alla marcia (arr. L. Gearhart)
The Love for Three Oranges Suite, Op. 33bis: III. March (arr. L. Gearhart)
Spring is Here: With a Song in My Heart (arr. L. Gearhart)
Hary Janos Suite: II. Becsi harangjatek (Viennese Musical Clock) (arr. L. Gearhart)
Das Orgelbuchlein, BWV 599-644: In dir ist Freude (In thee is joy), BWV 615 (arr. L. Gearhart)
Stormy Weather (arr. L. Gearhart)
Kitten on the Keys (arr. L. Gearhart)
Body and Soul (arr. L. Gearhart)
Goodnight Ladies

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