sinister teashop said: "The Operatti over at parterre.com seem to think that there are a number of different versions of P&B'sscore and that each has a different feeling and impact. From what I gather, P&Bis still debated as to whether it works better as an operaor as a Broadway style show. A few people recommend the recording with Simon Rattle conducting to hear the full operatic breadth of Gershwin'sscoring influenced by modernists like Alban Berg.
I didn't see the last revival but I did see the current Met production and it's an evening of glorious singing and acting."
There are indeed. It was cut for the first Broadway run, then all recitatives were removed for the first revival (and first hit staging), then a traveling production restored the recitatives but rearranged the placement of certain songs. Ultimately the original published 3 hour version of the score became the "definitive" version in the 1970's (the Houston Grand Opera production was the first such, though a studio recording had preceded it). But which version--the original cut Broadway production, or the score as published before rehersals began--is the "right" one continues to be debated. Musical criticis and historians have chimed in with different opinions over the years. The most recent argument against the 3 hour version can be found in the book On My Way: The Untold Story of Rouben Mamoulian, George Gershwin, and Porgy and Bess.
