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George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess"
 
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George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess" [CAST RECORDING] [BOX SET]

Houston Grand Opera (Artist), Donnie Ray Albert (Artist), Steven Alex-Cole (Artist), Shirley Baines (Artist), Kenneth Barry (Artist), Phyllis Bash (Artist), Raymond Bazemore (Artist), Carol Brice (Artist), Alex Carrington (Artist), Children's Chorus (Artist)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews) More about this product

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George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess" + George Gershwin - Porgy & Bess / Trevor Nunn · Sir Simon Rattle · W. White · C. Haymon · Glyndebourne Opera + Porgy & Bess: High Performance
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Product Details

  • Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
  • SPARS Code: AAD
  • Number of Discs: 3
  • Format: Cast Recording, Box set
  • Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
  • Label: RCA Red Seal #RCD3-2109
  • ASIN: B000003EMO
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,899 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #31 in  Music > Opera & Vocal > Languages > English
    #72 in  Music > Opera & Vocal > Historical Periods > Modern & 20th Century

Disc: 1
1. Porgy and Bess
2. Porgy and Bess
3. Porgy and Bess
4. Porgy and Bess
5. Porgy and Bess
6. Porgy and Bess
See all 14 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Porgy and Bess
2. Porgy and Bess
3. Porgy and Bess
4. Porgy and Bess
5. Porgy and Bess
6. Porgy and Bess
See all 24 tracks on this disc
Disc: 3
1. Porgy and Bess
2. Porgy and Bess
3. Porgy and Bess
4. Porgy and Bess
5. Porgy and Bess
6. Porgy and Bess
See all 19 tracks on this disc

On this CD:
  1. Porgy and Bess, opera
    Composed by George Gershwin
    with Carol Brice, Clamma Dale
    Conducted by Mabel Robinson, Helaine Heade


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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Exciting Recording of a Masterpiece, September 15, 1999
Forget the overrated, overblown Simon Rattle version on EMI. This recording, based on the famous Houston Grand Opera production, is the one to have. It has all the precision and musicality of the best opera recordings, yet with the theatrical excitement, the sense of involvement, that you get in the best Broadway cast albums--in fact, this recording was made (in only three days) while the cast was busy performing this production on Broadway.

Where to start in cataloguing the virtues of this set? Well, start with the conducting of John DeMain. His pacing of the work is excellent, balancing the operatic and "popular" elements just right, and never overdoing things (unlike Rattle, who always overdoes things). The orchestra, while clearly smaller than Rattle's London Philharmonic, plays well. Donnie Ray Albert is a fine Porgy, sometimes a bit strained at the top but with generally excellent singing and characterization. Clamma Dale's Bess won her awards and acclaim; she never went on to the stardom that was predicted for her, but luckily her extraordinary performance is preserved on these discs. I could go on, but there's no need, because there are no weak performers in this cast, and they all have the ensemble feel and sense of timing that comes from performing the work on the stage together for so many evenings.

The studio sound is excellent: Producer Thomas Z. Shepard goes all-out for sound effects, atmospheric touches, and stereo movement, all of which enhances the drama and the feeling of experiencing a real performance--but with the advantages that studio recording brings.

Though this is clearly the first choice, there are other good recordings of PORGY. The 1951 recording (produced by Shepard's mentor Goddard Lieberson) is very good, but heavily cut and in mono sound. The 1969 recording under Lorin Maazel is beautifully sung, if a bit undramatic. Against all this competition, the oft-recommended Rattle seems like a distinct also-ran, for people who wish that PORGY had been written by somebody--anybody-- other than Gershwin. Anyway, this RCA recording is definitely the first choice. Grab it.

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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The one by which all PORGYS are measured, February 19, 2005
Composer Stephen Sondheim has frequently cited PORGY AND BESS as his favourite calling it "a gift from above." And indeed it is.

And you could not ask for a better recording than this lavish set from the 1976 Houston Grand Opera, lovingly translated to discs by Thomas Sheppard with the same care and dedication he brings to his original Broadway cast recordings.

This album puts you centre stage with extensive use of sound effects and creative use of the stereo spread. The cast is perfection, honed by having performed the show live several times before going into the RCA studios. It's packed with a full libretto and synopsis.

The other "complete" recordings don't measure up. London's is correct but uninspired. EMI's set is well sung but lacks theatricality. All of the elements are in perfect balance on this set.

The old Columbia 1951 album was complete in its day but musicologists have since restored much of the material cut before the Broadway premiere.

Among the highlights discs are the Decca set featuring some of the cast members from both the 1935 and 1942 Broadway productions. A 1950s CD featuring Leontyne Price and William Warfield offers the key arias in a well sung collection. Readers Digest offers excerpts in their Gershwin CD set featuring a woefully bad Porgy, Valentine Pringle.

There are also a variety of Jazz interpretations. A strange 1956 Bethlehem Jazz album with Mel Torme and Frances Faye on Rhino, a highly prized album with Lena Horne and Harry Belafonte, and albums by Sammy Davis Jr and Caremen MacRae, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis.

Sammy Davis also appeared in the 1959 Samual Goldwyn film version with Sidney Poitier and Dorthy Dandridge. The film was withdrawn from circulation by the Gershwin estate in 1974 and has rarely been seen since. The Columbia Records "soundtrack" album was briefly available from SONY on CD but it too has been withdrawn. (Strangely, contract problems prevented Sammy Davis Jr from appearing on that album and his songs were redone for the record by Cab Calloway!) It is still the preferred version of "highlights" from the score for many listeners who enjoy the well-sung program and lush orchestrations.

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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best, November 16, 1999
By Helpful Reviewer (Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
The previous writer's review is exceptionally insightful and describes perfectly and comprehensively the many merits of this production and this recording. My only previous exposure to a full-length "Porgy" was the Rattle version, which in comparison to this production is found seriously lacking. Owing primarily to its pacing, the quality of the voices, and its effective and sincere characterizations, this production is without a doubt the best uncut version available. What is perhaps most impressive is the degree to which the singers and the orchestra work together to form a true ensemble and the resulting clarity of interpretation. This is not a program of "stars," and the usual "hits" are well-integrated into the fabric of the entire production. Lovely. Certain to become one of the treasures of your collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissappointed
When I got the product the third disk titles were all in an asian looking language. I couldn't read a thing it said. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Brokeback Cowboy

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Preparation for The Show
I purchased this in preparation for seeing the opera in Los Angeles in 2007. This version of Porgy & Bess lived up to its billing. Read more
Published on May 12, 2007 by Irish Riven

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the Best on Record
I agree with the positive comments made here about this production and this recording. This is the best recording of the full score that I know. Read more
Published on June 11, 2006 by Publius

5.0 out of 5 stars My Search is Over!
After several years of frustration, my search is over. This is overall the most satisfying complete recording of this opera. Read more
Published on April 5, 2006 by Mr. Philip D. Lambert

5.0 out of 5 stars Clamma Dale is wonderful!
I never saw Anne Brown--who for George Gershwin was the ONLY Bess--but I did see Clamma Dale, and she is not only an excellent opera singer, but also an accomplished actress... Read more
Published on January 11, 2005 by A Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, a complete and beautiful Porgy & Bess!
Having been a G. Gershwin fanatic ever since I saw "Manhattan" as a teen, I've listen to bits and pieces of "Porgy and Bess", and even played some of the numbers from sheet music... Read more
Published on December 6, 2004 by R. Bayerl

5.0 out of 5 stars Great music, greatest Bess
This is a real recording of a broadway cast and they are top notch. The star is Bess, and she is beautiful, with a velvety voice of richness and high, shimmering femininty. Read more
Published on July 12, 2004 by Roy de Lune

5.0 out of 5 stars Great singers!
As with most vocal music, the quality of the singers can "make or break" the performance. Here they are all in top form, operatic in stature without being stiff or formal. Read more
Published on September 4, 2002 by pseudonym

5.0 out of 5 stars Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: Opera or Something Else?
I once got into an argument with a friend as to whether Porgy and Bess was an opera or not. My friend insisted that it was definitely not an opera because of the way it was... Read more
Published on November 5, 2001 by Robert W. Allen

5.0 out of 5 stars The Orchestra's NOT Small!
I agree with everything the other reviewer said except the statement that the orchestra is "small. Read more
Published on September 18, 1999

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