Search - Gershwin, Mitchell, Maazel :: Porgy & Bess

Astonishing, breathtaking, wonderful.

KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT | 08/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Have had this for years on LP and am astonished to learn that it's not in stock on CD. For Gershwin fans it's a "must own", in my opinion the best Porgy & Bess ever recorded. It's the full score, apparently the first ever, and some of the greatest music in the opera is not familiar. Please Amazon.com - tell me it's now on CD and you will ship it to me. PLEASE!"

Lackluster Porgy

CD Maniac | Nashville, TN | 03/03/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD was the first to present all 3 hours of music that Gershwin wrote for "Porgy and Bess", and it claims that this is how Gershwin intended it to be performed. However, this is not the truth.



Gershwin always worked on his music in rehearsals to make it better, and Porgy and Bess was not different. He made many cuts, changes and additions to his score before the final 1935 version his Broadway, whittling down the music to jsut 2 hours and 20 minutes. What resulted was a much tighter story, dramatically.



It is definitely interesting to hear all 3 hours (best not taken all at one time). However, Maazel is not likely to be remembered as a great Gershwin conductor.



The other main drawback is the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus--they are totally out of place on this recording, singing as if they were singing a Bach Cantata. They do not capture the jazz style, or the singing style that is required."

EXCELLENT

KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT | SCOTTS VALLEY, CA USA | 12/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having listened to and been at many performances of Porgy and Bess, this really is the best recording.



The voices, the caricatures of the characters sparkle. The music comes alive. The conductor, solo artists and chorus shine.



As far as CD MANIAC is concerned, I don't think there is an understanding that the performance was to have been as a true, full-blown opera performed to the extent of Carmen or La Boheme. I think this is where the mis-understanding.



Gershwin, being that absolute genius he was, shows categorically in this performance that his "folk" opera could dazzle as well as any other in the showcase of "traditional" operas. So what a composer, what a piece!



That is the whole point to this recording.



Shame on CD MANIAC.









"