Soprano Sarah FoxConductor/arranger John Wilson and his hand-picked John Wilson Orchestra, along with English operatic baritone Sir Thomas Allen, English operatic soprano Sarah Fox, American musical entertainer/actress Kim Criswell, American jazz vocalist Curtis Stigers, and American animator/director/Grammy nominee Seth MacFarlane celebrate the golden age of Hollywood musicals performing iconic songs from some of cinema’s most enduring movies, including The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, High Society, An American in Paris, Gigi, and Singin’ in the Rain.
The concert is unique as a live performance of movie soundtrack standouts like “Get Happy,” “The Trolley Song,” “Gigi,” and “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” because all of the original orchestral parts were lost in 1969 when MGM’s music library was destroyed. Wilson painstakingly reconstructed the original scores, a decade’s worth of work by the young conductor/arranger.
Song List
“MGM Overture” (written for MGM’s 30th anniversary)
“The Trolley Song” (from Meet Me in St. Louis) – Criswell
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (from The Wizard of Oz) – Criswell
“Steppin’ Out With My Baby” (from Easter Parade) – Stigers
“Wonderful, Wonderful Day” (from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) – Fox
“Stranger in Paradise” (from Kismet) – Allen/Fox
“Gigi” (from Gigi) – Allen
“Get Happy” (from Summer Stock) – Criswell
“Our Love is Here to Stay” (from An American in Paris) – Stigers
A Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals, Sunday at 8 p.m. on PBS 6.
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