From: conrad@ravel.udel.edu (Jon Conrad)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: Kurt Weill's "Street Scene" on London
Date: 14 Apr 92 14:48:07 GMT
Organization: University of Delaware

In article <1992Apr13.002454.20704@galileo.cc.rochester.edu> ray@gawain.cif.rochester.edu (Raymond Sunessen Tuttle) writes:

>I imagine that many music-lovers, asked to name a great American opera, would
>name "Porgy and Bess." I would cast my vote for Kurt Weill's "Street Scene."

Both worthy candidates.  Another, in some ways my first choice, is
Virgil Thomson's "The Mother of Us All."

I admire "Street Scene" and agree it ought to be better known, though I
find it far from flawless.  There's perhaps an overabundance of plotless
"episode" music in the first act.  It must have been a deliberate choice
by Weill not to set the murder to music, but I find it a mistake.  And
he never really found the music to bring Frank Maurrant to life until
the last 5 minutes of the show.  His Act I aria ("Let things be like
they always was") just lies there.  Still, there's a lot else that's
terrific, and the whole piece is fascinating.

As I have on occasion been reprimanded here for not mentioning the
appearances of my writing, let me reluctantly mention that I reviewed
both the new recordings of "Street Scene" in the last issue of the KURT
WEILL NEWSLETTER (subscription free to anyone who requests it from the
Kurt Weill Foundation for Music).

Basically, I found both new recordings good without being great.  The
British accents (disguised, but still there) and the lack of real
familiarity with the New York milieu hurt both recordings.  The TER
recording manages this a little better, especially in the spoken dialog
(of which there is a lot), and gives it a helpful sonic background of
street noises (sometimes this sort of thing spoils a recording, but here
it really helps).

Both conductors do well (TER has Carl Davis), and are not all that
different; Mauceri's orchestra sounds "louder," which is sometimes more
effective and colorful, other times just noisy.

London's cast is better, I think.  Josephine Barstow sounds absolutely
wonderful, and Angelina Reaux is a genuine example of someone who sings
and acts equally well.  Jerry Hadley is nice but a bit wimpy; I prefer
TER's Bonaventura Bottone.  Sam Ramey is hard to take as Frank Maurrant,
well though he sings; his attempt at a Brooklyn (??) accent is quite
ludicrous.

Of the cameo appearances, Arleen Auger and Della Jones are a stitch.
David Kuebler and Emile Belcourt are good too.  Barbara Bonney's a pain;
she sounds as if she's condescending to the music.

I should add that the best case for "Street Scene" that I've ever seen
was the 1978 NY City Opera production, conducted by Mauceri and telecast
(apparently there were some legal problems with this, and it can never
be reshown).  Catherine Malfitano was a wonderful Rose, and William
Chapman the only bearable Frank I've seen.

>Much of the rest of the cast sounds as if they are from the British Isles;
>the recording was made in Glasgow, and the orchestra and chorus are from the
>Scottish National Opera. 

The TER recording is based on the same stage production, shared between
Scottish Opera and English National Opera (some small-part singers are
the same in both).

>I hope that someone, and soon, considers recording Weill's
>delicious 1941 musical (with lyrics by Ira Gershwin) "Lady in the Dark."
>Mauceri seems like just the man to do it.

Oh, it's been considered.  And Mauceri will probably be the one to do
it.  He was set to do it in Scotland about 5 years back, a concert and
then a recording with Julie Andrews.  But she cancelled, and the record
company cancelled the recording.  It's been on the planning table more
recently, but rumored productions in NY or London keep postponing the
possibility of a studio recording.

Any suggestions for casting Liza Elliott if a recording happens?  A
"star" presence and personality, with a pop voice of light-soprano
timbre?  Meryl Streep?  Glenn Close?  Jill Eikenberry?  :-)

Jon Alan Conrad