The program would be worth it just for the chance to hear this overture live, and to hear it played by the BSO with such polish and flair (Chris Dudley’s tender trombone solo in “Embraceable You” is among the notable individual efforts). But there is more to savor.

Many a Gershwin salute includes Robert Russell Bennett’s finely crafted arrangements of “Porgy and Bess,” and Everly has made room for it here.

But the conductor has also squeezed in Bennett’s “Gershwin in Hollywood,” another terrifically stylish example of orchestral arranging, which includes an ethereal treatment of “Love is Here to Stay” and a version of “A Foggy Day” that sounds more like an underwater day (in a good way).

Speaking of squeezing, including the Overture to “Girl Crazy,” too, is almost too much of a good thing, since that means three big orchestral items structured pretty much in the same song-after-song manner. But it’s hard to complain, even if a few tunes turn up more than once.

The two vocal portions of the concert offer rewards. For one thing, McLane has a refreshingly direct, straightforward approach to the material (you just know she would never stoop to even the slightest “American Idol”-ism in her styling).

Her elegant approach is especially effective in “My Ship,” the Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin from “Lady in the Dark.” That song also features an excellent arrangement. “Someone to Watch Over Me,” from the Gershwin’s “Oh, Kay!,” likewise benefits from the orchestral arrangement, which includes an atmospheric reference to the slow movement from Gershwin’s Concerto in F.

In the case of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” also featuring McLane, Everly has unearthed Conrad Salinger’s richly nuanced orchestration used when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers performed it in “The Barkleys of Broadway.” Again, that old movie magic is conjured up delectably, just by the sounds alone.

Although the program would have been rewarding enough if it had stayed focused exclusively on the song portion of George Gershwin’s career, the inclusion of the evergreen “Rhapsody in Blue” provides a fitting finale.

Stewart Goodyear, who delivered an impressive account of the piece in a BSO concert in 2007, is back for an even more dynamic and absorbing one.

The pianist has a field day with the score. He finds fresh ways to sculpt phrases, but resists the sort of exaggerated ritards and mushy phrasing that some others go for in an effort to sound distinctive.

When he gets to the big lyrical theme, Goodyear is as sensitive as you could want, without getting sticky over it. The jazzier elements produce a terrifically kinetic response.

All the while, he is tightly partnered by Everly and the orchestra (Christopher Wolfe is the vivid clarinet soloist).

The well-stuffed program, which also offers the relatively rare “Lullaby” for strings and the “Walking the Dog” orchestral passage from the Astair-Rodgers movie “Shall We Dance,” underlines something we already know, but bears repeating — Gershwin was a genius. You can’t take that away from him.

The concert will be repeated Friday through Sunday at the Meyerhoff.

On Thursday night at Strathmore, Everly handled a non-musical surprise with aplomb. A film clip meant to go with the "Walking the Dog" segment started up beforehand while the orchestra was playing music form "Porgy and Bess."

The conductor calmly stopped the performance and vamped til ready with jokes.  It took too long to get the matter resolved, but Everly kept his cool. I wonder if he did some great screaming when he got backstage.

PHOTOS FROM SUN FILES (Everly) AND BSO (Goodyear by Andrew Garn)