Gershwin - Porgy and Bess / White · Haymon · Blackwell · Baker · LPO · Sir Simon Rattle

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
An uncut Porgy & Bess may well be too long in the theater. On CD, though, you can play one act at a time, letting Gershwin's wide-eyed, inexhaustibly inventive score run its course at leisure in the comforts of your rumpus room. Some listeners might find Sir Simon Rattle's tempos on the draggy side, but he's got Gershwin's syncopated idiom down cold. Similarly, the singers fuse Gershwin's prodigious musical demands with effortless, characterful diction more succesfully than in other recordings, abetted by engineering that is both atmospheric and richly detailed. Full texts and excellent annotations round off this stellar achievement based on the highly acclaimed 1989 Glyndebourne Opera production. --Jed Distler

Gershwin - Porgy and Bess / White · Haymon · Blackwell · Baker · LPO · Sir Simon Rattle, Music, George Gershwin, Simon Rattle, Willard White, Cynthia Haymon, London Philharmonic Orcherstra, The Glyndebourne Chorus, Harolyn Blackwell, Michael Forest, Colenton Freeman, Damon Evans, Gregg Baker, Marietta Simpson, American 20th/21st Century Opera, Classical, Classical Music, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Gershwin - Porgy and Bess / White · Haymon · Blackwell · Baker · LPO · Sir Simon Rattle
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A Good and complete version
  • Very good, but flawed in some ways.
  • Gershwin on a Wagner scale
  • Actually, this version "Summertime" is the reason it's so perfect....
  • Rattle rushes through
 Gershwin - Porgy and Bess / White · Haymon · Blackwell · Baker · LPO · Sir Simon Rattle
George Gershwin , Simon Rattle , Willard White , Cynthia Haymon , London Philharmonic Orcherstra , The Glyndebourne Chorus , Harolyn Blackwell , Michael Forest , Colenton Freeman , Damon Evans , Gregg Baker , and Marietta Simpson
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002RX8
Release Date: 1997-09-23

Tracks:

  1. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Introduction, Jasbo Brown solo, chorus (Jasbro Brown, Chorus)
  2. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Summertime (Clara, Chorus)
  3. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Oh, nobody knows when the Lawd is goin' to call (Mingo, Chorus, Sporting Life, Jake, Serena, Robbins, Jim, Clara, Crap Shooters (Male Chorus))
  4. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Give him to me... Lissen to yo' daddy warn you... A woman is a sometime thing (Jake, Mingo, Sporting Life, Chorus, Baby, Clara, Robbins, Peter, Lily, Maria)
  5. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Here's the ol' crap shark!... No, no, brudder (Jake, Mingo, Porgy, Sporting Life, Robbins, Jim, Maria, Serena)
  6. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Here comes Big Boy! (Mingo, Jake, Jim, Crown, Porgy, Serena, Bess, Robbins, Chorus, Sporting Life)
  7. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Six to make! (Sporting Life, Jim, Jake, Mingo, Porgy, Crown, Robbins, Maria, Serena, Bess, Chorus)
  8. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 1: Jesus, he's killed him!... That you, Sportin' Life? (Jake, Serena, Bess, Crown, Sporting Life, Maria)
  9. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 2: Where is brudder Robbins?... Come on, sister! (Chorus, Serena, Maria, Bess, Jake, Peter, Porgy, Clara)
  10. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 2: Overflow, overflow (Chorus, Porgy)
  11. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 2: A saucer-burying set-up, I see (Detective, Serena, Lily, Peter, Porgy, Policeman, Maria, Jake, Chorus)
  12. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 2: My man's gone now (Serena, Chorus)
  13. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 2: How de saucer stan' now, my sister? (Undertaker, Serena, Jake, Porgy)
  14. Porgy And Bess: Act I, Scene 2: Oh, the train is at the station (Bess, Chorus)

Tracks:

  1. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Oh, I'm agoin' out to the Blackfish banks (Jake, Chorus)
  2. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Mus' be you mens forgot about de picnic... Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin' (Annie, Jake, Clara, Porgy, Chorus, Serena, Maria)
  3. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Lissen there, what I tells you... I hates yo' struttin' style (Maria, Serena, Sporting Life)
  4. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Mornin', Lawyer, lookin' for somebody? (Maria, Frazier, Porgy, Bess, Chorus, Lily, Scipio, Annie , Serena)
  5. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Boy! Come here, boy! (Archdale, Scipio, Clara, Serena, Mingo, Jake, Porgy, Frazier, Chorus)
  6. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Buzzard keep on flyin' over (Porgy, Chorus)
  7. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: 'Lo Bess, goin' to picnic? (Sporting Life, Bess, Porgy)
  8. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Honey, we sure goin' strut our stuff today!... Bess, you is my woman now (Jake, Porgy, Bess)
  9. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 1: Oh, I can't sit down (Chorus, Maria, Bess, Porgy)
  10. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 2: I ain't got no shame (Chorus)
  11. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 2: It ain't necessarily so... Shame on all you sinners (Sporting Life, Chorus, Serena, Maria)
  12. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 2: Crown! (Bess, Crown)
  13. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 2: Oh, what you want wid Bess? (Bess, Crown)
  14. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 3: Honey, dat's all de breakfast I got time for (Jake, Fisherman, Jim, Nelson, Maria, Chorus)
  15. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 3: Take yo' han's off me ( Bess, Serena, Maria, Peter, Porgy)
  16. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 3: Oh, doctor Jesus (Serena, Peter, Porgy, Lily)
  17. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 3: Oh dey's so fresh an' fine (Strawberry woman, Peter, Woman, Annie, Crab man, Porgy, Maria)
  18. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 3: Porgy, Porgy, dat you there, ain't it? (Bess, Porgy)
  19. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 3: I wants to stay here (Porgy, Bess)
  20. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 3: Why you been out on that wharf so long, Clara? (Maria, Clara)

Tracks:

  1. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 4: Oh, Doctor Jesus (Chorus, Porgy, Clara, Serena, Sporting Life)
  2. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 4: One of dese mornings you goin' to rise up singin' (Clara, Chorus, Porgy, Bess)
  3. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 4: Oh, dere's somebody knockin' at de do' (Chorus, Peter, Maria, Lily, Mingo, Other woman)
  4. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 4: You is a nice parcel of Christians! (Crown, Serena, Bess, Porgy, Woman, Chorus)
  5. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 4: A red-headed woman make a choo-choo jump its track (Crown, Chorus, Clara, Bess)
  6. Porgy And Bess: Act II, Scene 4: All right, I'm goin' out to get Clara... Oh, Doctor Jesus (Crown, Porgy, Chorus)
  7. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 1: Clara, Clara, don't you be downhearted... You low-life skunk, ain' you got no shame (Chrous, Sporting Life, Maria)
  8. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 1: Summertime... (Porgy kills Crown) (Bess, Porgy)
  9. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 2: Wait for us at the corner (Detective, Annie, Serena, Other woman, Coroner)
  10. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 2: Come out here, both of you (Dectective, Coroner, Porgy)
  11. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 2: Oh, Lawd, what I goin' do?... Oh, Gawd! They goin' make him look on Crown's face! (Porgy, Bess, Sporting Life, Policeman)
  12. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 2: Listen: There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New York (Sporting Life, Bess)
  13. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 3: Introduction (Orchestra)
  14. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 3: Good mornin', sistuh!... It's Porgy comin' home (Chorus, Children, Mingo, Porgy)
  15. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 3: Dem white folks sure ain' put nuttin' over on this baby (Porgy, Lily)
  16. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 3: Here Mingo, what's de matter wid you all? (Porgy)
  17. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 3: Where's Bess? (Porgy, Maria, Serena)
  18. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 3: Bess is gone (Lily, Porgy, Serena, Mingo, Maria, Chorus)
  19. Porgy And Bess: Act III, Scene 3: Oh Lawd, I'm on my way (Porgy, Chorus)

Amazon.com essential recording

An uncut Porgy & Bess may well be too long in the theater. On CD, though, you can play one act at a time, letting Gershwin's wide-eyed, inexhaustibly inventive score run its course at leisure in the comforts of your rumpus room. Some listeners might find Sir Simon Rattle's tempos on the draggy side, but he's got Gershwin's syncopated idiom down cold. Similarly, the singers fuse Gershwin's prodigious musical demands with effortless, characterful diction more succesfully than in other recordings, abetted by engineering that is both atmospheric and richly detailed. Full texts and excellent annotations round off this stellar achievement based on the highly acclaimed 1989 Glyndebourne Opera production. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Good and complete version.......2007-07-09

Of course those who are familar with P&B will have their favorites among the recordings (I tend to be partial to the 1940-42 original cast recordings myself). But I like this for what it is. There are only a few others where you will hear versions of tunes from this folk opera that don't ordinarily appear on recordings (such as my beloved "Somebody's knocking at the door" and "Jasbo Brown's Blues," etc.) But for what it's worth, this is an excellent long and complete version of P&B and I strongly recommend it for fans.

4 out of 5 stars Very good, but flawed in some ways........2006-12-31

There are differences in every recording of a piece, some good, some bad.
I just bought this recording the other day, and I was satisfied. The recording was very dramatic (unlike the 1976 Maazel recording) and the jazzy elements were treated very well (also unlike Maazel's recording). The lyrical pieces of the opera (Bess You is my Woman & Summertime) were especially haunting and tender. And the spiritual-type songs with the shouts of "Amen" and "Hallelujah!" were perfect!

But, as another reviewer noted, I did not care for Rattle's interpretation of the grace note in Bess You is My Woman Now. And some of the tempos were either too fast or too slow, i.e. the accelerando at the end of the introduction was totally UNNECESSARY. On that matter, Gershwin did mark his tempos, but have you heard the Introduction at Quarter Note=112? It seems rather draggy. And Summertime was just a hair slow for my taste. At times the recording seemed overblown and bombastic with the full orchestra and its pompous brass (most notably in "I Hates Yo' Struttin' Style" the beginning of Act 2, and the beginning of "What You Want Wid' Bess?")

All in all a good recording and one worth keeping, despite the little things. I recommend the 1976 Maazel recording, if you can find a copy. I was lucky enough to find it on CD at our local library. The performances aren't exactly as dramatic, and Maazel almost kills the jazz feel, but it is a fine recording also. I have not heard the Houston Grand Opera recording. Maybe when I get more money...

5 out of 5 stars Gershwin on a Wagner scale.......2006-10-29

My title isn't meant to be a put-down. It's exactly what makes it, to my taste, not just the best - but actually the only realization of the music on its true operatic scale. It's true that the *singing* has been realized on an operatic scale before - i.e. Leontyne Price's immortal performance as Bess in the 1963 studio recording. But with all due props to the RCA Studio Orchestra - whose genuine talent was, it must be admitted, exercised in a context of hackery: They could probably have hardly imagined, let alone peformed on their instruments, a vision of the music as profound as that summoned by Sir Rattle [the title feels appropriate here] on this instantly definitive version.

Put aside any musical theater-level preconceptions of scale you may have brought. When that boat gets to leaving soon for New York, and the score's brilliant orchestrations are depicting the Manhattan skyline like a jazz-age-drunk's view of the yawning gates of Hell, Rattle cranks the London Philharmonic to 11 and pumps out sonic profundity like this was Mahler's 9th. When the scene ended, I needed to light a cigarette.

Now like I said, that's the way I roll. But if that's a heavier Art Moment than you have the emotional commitment for at a given time, but you still want to hear "Summertime", by all means cue up Price. But remember that, as far as realizing the score of the one American opera that can compete on the same playing field as your Bohemes and Traviatas is concerned, it's the difference between AAA ball and the World Series.

5 out of 5 stars Actually, this version "Summertime" is the reason it's so perfect...........2006-06-06

I found the prior reviewer's comment that "Summertime wasn't meant to be a funeral dirge..." to be interesting, although I'm afraid I can't agree. Like all great works of art, the vision of its author can perhaps never be completely understood, so must be left to interpretation by others.

And what an interpretation....this performance of Summertime has an atmospheric wistfulness which comforts and haunts like a sad lullaby, and brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear it. It moves me like almost nothing I've ever heard, because I can feel the ache in her soul across the decades, as she sings it.

3 out of 5 stars Rattle rushes through.......2006-03-04

While there are so many excellent things about this recording, Rattle's tempos often ruin what would have been a top-notch recording. Gershwin carefully marked all of his tempos with metronome markings, and indeed he even made a rehearsal recording (with himself playing the piano part) that carefully details his intended tempos. From the opening introduction, Rattle disregards many of these, and takes the fast tempos way too fast, and the slow tempos way too slow. The introduction has carefully marked accents that are not playable when the orchestra is playing too fast, and it just becomes a mad scramble. And "Summertime" is not meant to be a funeral dirge.

A little better preparation on Rattle's part (especially listening to Gershwin himself) would have made him a much more faithful, and a much better Gershwin conductor.

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