Porgy&Bess

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:03pm

I did a report on George Gershwin, so I decided to take a listen to Porgy and Bess. And i really like it!!!!!!


Any thoughts about this?

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:04pm

Arguably the greatest piece of popular musical entertainment written for the theatre in the last century.

[cturtle]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:07pm

an all-time favorite. gorgeous gershwin score and bravely innovative for the time. i enjoy the voices on the soundtrack recording of the movie.

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:08pm

I love the story! the biography I picked about Gershwin's work on this was very interesting!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:13pm

Genius, pure and simple. The greatest score ever written by an American composer -- either for the musical theatre or for opera (it is a hybrid of both).

Listen first to the RCA Highlights album from 1963 with Leontyne Price, William Warfield and John Bubbles and conducted by Skitch Henderson. Price sings all of the female roles (Clara, Bess, Serena) and her renditions are definitive (she was one of the great sopranos of the 20th century).

Afterwards, listen to one of the complete sets (the highlights album only includes about half the score). I personally prefer the Houston Grand Opera recording (1976?) with Clamma Dale, but there are other outstanding sets. And if you really want to be thorough, check out the 1942(?) recording which included the original Porgy and Bess, Todd Duncan and Ann Brown. Brown is only OK, but Duncan may be the best Porgy of them all (a gorgeous tone and a sublime performance).

Updated On: 2/16/05 at 06:13 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:50pm

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. "Summertime" is one of my favorite songs ever.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:53pm

if you are looking for a good one, I suggest either the Highlights one or the one that I have the picture for. It is 3 disks long and everyone is amazing. And the conducting by John DeMain is perfect. I have never seen it performed live but when I do, I hope it sounds like this

[CatatonicBohoGirl]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:56pm

"Summertime" is a favorite of mine, too. I heard one girl sing it at an audition I went to - chilling...

[DestinyBeckoned]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 6:56pm

I love "It Ain't Necessarily So."

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 7:34pm

A worldwide touring production is coming to Toronto next month.

That reminds me, I better buy tickets.

[cturtle]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 7:46pm

spiderdj, i have the boxed LP of that recording :)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 7:49pm

isn't it great? *sigh*

[decotodd]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 8:01pm

The Hollywood Bowl is doing a concert version this summer with Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 8:03pm

I hope it's recorded.

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 8:44pm

Yeah, I have the 1961? recording

I think Ill get the other one too

JEEZ these people are all amazingly talented! and great music too!

Posted: 2/15/05 at 8:47pm

decotodd - THANK YOU for that heads up - I've just gotten the Bowl brochure - that will automatically go to the top of the list! They have been my dream casting for quite some time. I know others would like to see/hear Norm Lewis - but I LOVE Audra and Brian together!

[wildcat]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:38pm

I think the Houston production would have to be the winner; my copy is worn beyond recognition.

And would Stokes have to be the sexiest Porgy in history? He can park his goat cart under my bed ANY TIME....

[MusicMan]

Posted: 2/16/05 at 12:00am

McDonald and Stokes Mitchell recorded scenes from Porgy and Bess, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, on the RCA label for a Gershwin 100th birthday celebration in the late 90's.

[MatureDignity]

Posted: 2/16/05 at 12:12am

I saw the touring production last week. Hearing the score live (and I'm not even sure that some of the performers wore mics) and unamplified was awesome. I was completely sucked in...

Posted: 2/16/05 at 12:28am

Musicman - I'll definitely be looking for that recording. Did you like it?

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/16/05 at 12:45am

I'm not MusicMan but I can say for a fact that this recording is WONDERFUL. The only problem is that there is so little singing. I think there are probably about5 or 6 songs from the show. It's a double CD with other Gershwin orchestral music on it. I mean it's great because Gershwin is great. But hearing and seeing (there was a PBS broadcast of said concert) Audra do My Man's Gone was soooooo breathtaking. A great singer AND actress doing that is a hell of a combo. Stokes is great also. I say buy it.

Posted: 2/16/05 at 12:47am

Jazzy - not only will I buy it, but I hope to experience the full score live

[Loge]

Posted: 2/16/05 at 1:06am

I prefer the Glyndebourne recording on EMI with Rattle at the helm! It's a great recording of perhaps the best American opera! Another nice American opera is Flyod's Susannah. As far as English language opera goes, I love The Rake's Progress best!

[MusicMan]

Posted: 2/16/05 at 2:42am

I don't care for the Glyndeborne version because the tempos are (as usual with Sir Simon's musical theatre efforts) too damn fast! The score isn't allowed to breathe as it does on the DeMain recording.
DGrant, I haven't listened to the McDonald/Mitchell/Gershwin album in years but the fact that I kept it says plenty. I will dig it out and give it a spin.
And if you're interested in Englsh-language operas,Loge, don't overlook REGINA, probably the best American opera after P&B.

[Loge]

Posted: 2/16/05 at 10:40am

I'm not familiar with that work. I also like Peter Grimes, although as a whole, English opera (even P&B) doesn't do much for me. There are certain moments I like in P&B, but as a whole, it's difficult for me to listen to it in it's entirety. I much prefer Italian, German, or Russian.