Lana Del Rey has shared her rendition of George Gershwin’s 1935 jazz standard ‘Summertime’ — listen below.
The singer recorded the cover to raise awareness, support and funds for the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic orchestras during the coronavirus pandemic. Del Rey is encouraging her fans to donate to the LA group’s ‘Play Your Part’ fund along with the ‘NY Plays On’ campaign.
“I’m so grateful to have been asked to perform this version of ‘Summertime’ by George Gershwin — the legendary composer-pianist whose music the New York Philharmonic has premiered and with whom we performed,” Del Rey tweeted alongside her version. “Especially during a crisis faced by all performing arts organisations.”
You can watch the video for Del Rey’s cover of ‘Summertime’ below:
Chad Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said in a statement: “We’re incredibly grateful for Lana Del Rey’s support and for her drawing attention to the challenges arts organisations have faced over the past several months.
“The performing arts have been hit especially hard by the pandemic, but we look forward to the day when the orchestra and artists, including Lana, will be able return to our stages again.
“In the meantime, we are extraordinarily thankful for her support and the many, many other donors who have stepped forward during this difficult time.”
New York Philharmonic President & CEO Deborah Borda added: “What a wonderful gift from Lana Del Rey! It’s particularly poetic, since the song is by George Gershwin — the legendary composer-pianist whose music the New York Philharmonic has premiered and with whom we performed.
“We are most grateful to Lana, as we are to all who are supporting us during a crisis faced by all performing arts organisations.”
The New York Philharmonic are also hosting a virtual fundraising gala tonight (November 20), which will be broadcast publicly here as well as on the orchestra’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
The ‘Summertime’ cover marks the second time that Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess aria has appeared in Del Rey’s work. A version of the song by jazz flautist Herbie Mann was sampled by Sublime on their song ‘Doin’ Time’, taken from their self-titled 1996 album.
Del Rey went on to cover ‘Doin’ Time’ on her latest album, last year’s ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’. The album took home the award for ‘Best Album In The World’ at the 2020 NME Awards.
Earlier this month, Del Rey covered the hymn ‘On Eagle’s Wings’ in celebration of Joe Biden‘s US election victory.
She previously announced she was working on an album of “American standards and classics” that she intends to release before Christmas.
Though forthcoming studio album ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’ has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, she released the record’s first single ‘Let Me Love You Like a Woman’ last month.