Review/Opera - 'Porgy and Bess' - Catfish Row at the Met - NYTimes.com Review/Opera; 'Porgy and Bess': Catfish Row at the Met By DONAL HENAHAN Published: September 29, 1989 The contemporary world does not often intrude on the Metropolitan Opera, but there it all was on Wednesday evening: a hurricane battering Charleston, S.C.; a cocaine dealer plying his trade on the street; racially biased police officers; sex, violence and evangelism flourishing side by side . . . but, of course, you have guessed that the opera was ''Porgy and Bess,'' Gershwin's tuneful investigation of the folkways of Catfish Row in the 1930's. First produced by the company in 1985, ''Porgy'' has returned in a restaging by Arvin Brown, artistic director of the Long Wharf Theater. Mr. Brown, making his Metropolitan debut with a cast that included 10 singers as new to the house as he, makes extensive revisions in the original Nathaniel Merrill production.

The hurricane scene, for instance, shifts from a shack on the beach back to its proper site, Serena's room. It is one of many differences that make no difference. The total effect remains as before: this uncut ''Porgy,'' which exhumes virtually every scrap of music that the composer wrote for the work, continues to look and sound as overblown as ever. The affecting simplicity and directness of the famous songs (''Summertime,'' ''Bess, You Is My Woman,'' and the rest) still is smothered under the blanket of grand-opera pretensions. Part of the problem traces to Gershwin himself. His large-orchestra version of the score does singers no favors, regularly blotting them out when comprehension of words and clarity of vocal melodies should be uppermost. Very little of the text could be made out at Wednesday's performance. In this first ''Porgy'' of the season, that basic difficulty of comprehension was compounded by James Levine's insistence on thrusting the orchestration into prominence at just those moments when voices and text should have taken precedence. His conducting, which generally pays attention to such matters, was bluff, unidiomatic and insensitive.

Strange to say, however, considering the composing source, not many of the voices in this performance sounded good enough to deserve more sympathetic treatment. The Porgy, Michael Smartt, seemed vocally out of sorts, as if suffering from a cold. Though a reasonably adept actor, he swallowed or crooned many notes and rarely projected a tone out into the large house. As the bootlegger and dope pusher Sportin' Life, Ben Holt danced athletically and strutted in the appropriately raffish fashion, but his vocal inadequacies were hard to overlook even in a largely declamatory version of ''It Ain't Necessarily So.'' The community's female bulwarks (Camellia Johnson as Serena, Marjorie Wharton as Maria and Karla Burns as Lily) had little opportunity to do more than deliver accompanied recitative in a shrill, presumably humorous, style. Marvis Martin, as Clara, lent her excellent soprano to ''Summertime,'' but the song's evocative appeal was dissipated by a heavily dramatic, rather ponderous treatment. On the plus side, Priscilla Baskerville's Bess could be listened to with pleasure, though her acting was tentative when not actually awkward.

As for Porgy's nemesis, the brutal stevedore Crown, it would be hard to imagine a more formidable villain than Gregg Baker, who looked like a cross between Magic Johnson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Among the cast's more promising newcomers were Raymond Bazemore as the divorce-peddling Frazier, Gordon Hawkins as Maria's husband Jake and, in cameo appearances, Linda Thompson as the Strawberry woman and Lynn Randolph as the Crabman. The performance's flaws and virtues could be dwelled upon at more length. Such scrutiny would not change, however, the basic objection to the Metropolitan's ''Porgy'': this is a well-meaning inflation and hence distortion of a pioneering work in American musical theater. Mr. Brown, essentially a theater director, can hardly be blamed for the lingering musical misjudgments, but his restaging does little to bring the work into sharper dramatic focus. That probably will only be possible when ''Porgy'' is trimmed back to sensible proportions and performed as the durable, though minor, opera that it is, not as Wagnerian Gershwin.

The Cast PORGY AND BESS, opera in three acts by George Gershwin, libretto by Du Bose Heyward, based on a play by Du Bose and Dorothy Heyward; conductor, James Levine; production by Nathaniel Merrill; stage director, Arvin Brown; sets and costumes by Robert O'Hearn; lighting by Gil Wechsler; choreography by Arthur Mitchell. At the Metropolitan Opera. Bess ... Priscilla Baskerville Clara ... Marvis Martin Porgy ... Michael Smartt Crown ... Gregg Baker Peter ... Mervyn Wallace Undertaker ... Edward White Scipio ... Carl Findlay Jasbo Brown ... Joseph Joubert Serena ... Camellia Johnson Sportin' Life ... Ben Holt Jake ... Gordon Hawkins Lily ... Karla Burns Maria ... Marjorie Wharton Strawberry Woman ... Linda Thompson Mingo ... Michael Forest Robbins ... Edward Payne Crabman ... Lynn Randolph Frazier ... Raymond Bazemore Jim ... Michael Lofton Mr. Archdale ... Jack Dabdoub Detective ... Hansford Rowe Policeman ... Andrew Murphy Coroner ... Jack Sims Photo of Priscilla Baskerville in Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bess,'' at the Metropolitan Opera.

(Winnie Klotz) 75 Years PORGY & BESS - GERSHWIN & DUBOSE HEYWARD - PERFORMANCES Recordings DISCOGRAPHY History MEMORABILIA Click here for a sample of Camilla Willams singing Summertime in 1947. 2010: 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF PORGY & BESS "To celebrate the 75th anniversary of George Gershwins enduring masterpiece, a new production of Porgy and Bess is being mountedwith the full approval of the Gershwin estateby veteran opera producer Michael Capasso (General Director of New Yorks vibrant Dicapo Opera), produced in association with Willette Murphy Klausner. (More details will be published later at the end of this page.) Dust jacket and knicked hard cover from 1925. On a few pages short examples of music will start playing automatically after the download is ready, but only if Microsoft Internet Explorer is your browser. Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome do not have the facility to let you hear sound in the background.

EDWIN DUBOSE HEYWARD Porgy, the novel, was written by Edwin DuBose Heyward. He lived in Charleston, South Carolina. When he fell ill with polio, he started writing poetry and later prose. I edited his picture, taken from the back of the somewhat stained dust cover of the book, published by Grosset & Dunlap, New York, by arrangement with George H. Doran Company, Copyright 1925. DuBose Heyward was in his thirties when he wrote his masterpiece and 39 when it was first published. I bought the book in an antique book store. THE PLAY Dorothy and Edwin DuBose Heyward turned the novel into a play. It was first staged in October 1927. The play was to be the basis for the libretto. In National Geographic, Volume 172, No. 6, December 1987, an article appeared with the title "Sea Change in the Sea Islands - Nowhere to Lay Down Weary Head". The article was written by Charles L.

Blockson, based on material collected by the late Patricia Jones-Jackson who lived intermittently for 13 years in the Sea Islands of South Carolina. The article tells about the history, the changes, the customs and the language. It is critical on the interference and exploitation of the culture. In it you will find the word "buckra" for "white man" and a map suggests that Kiawa Island must have become Kittiwar in DuBose Heyward's novel and Kittiwah Island in George Gershwin's opera. CRITICAL ASSESSMENT Reading the novel is not too easy, at least at first sight. It initially asks for a lot of concentration because of the writing of the spoken language, no matter if it is a true rendition of the Gullah language or not. This is not a criticism. There are other aspects of the novel, the play and the opera, which have been criticized by several people. These aspects are about ethics, about the distortion of the originality of the characters that really have existed, and the way the play and the opera have been "exploited" right from the early days on.

You may read the assessment written by Policeman / Coronor - Peter van Zand Highlights from the complete recording on Columbia CL 922. THE COLUMBIA SET The first "complete" recording was made by Columbia. In the picture you see Lehman Engel and Goddard Lieberson. Engel was the conductor and Lieberson the producer for the Columbia recording. The edited images of Camilla Williams and of Lehman Engel and Goddard Lieberson are from the accompanying notes of the original Columbia SET SL-162 from 1951. Though it was quite a long version, several cuts were made. There is no Maria addressing Sporting Life who wants to be friends with her. But there is of course the omen in the "Buzzard Song". For that song one can also play the wonderfully dramatic and swinging concept of Miles Davis and Gil Evans on Columbia LP CS 8085. In 1968 the original 3 LP recording from 1951 was reissued on Columbia OSL-162 and later on Odyssey 32 38 0018. Both were "electronically re-channeled for stereo".

The recording dates of course from 1951. No full length commercial stereo recordings were made in the sixties and early seventies. In High Fidelity Magazine Vol. 1, No. 3 (Winter, 1951) reviewer D.A. evaluated the Columbia 3-LP set. GERSHWIN: Porgy and Bess Lawrence Winters (bne), Camilla Williams (s), Inez Matthews (s), Warren Coleman (bne), Avon Long (t) and cast. J.Rosamond Johnson Chorus, and unnamed orchestra; Lehman Engels, cond. 3 Columbia 12-in. Set SL 162. 2 hrs. 9 mins. "Another feather in Columbia's operatic cap. The rapid growing library of complete operas opens endless new vistas to music lovers unable to attend live performances. Porgy and Bess is a case in point. For so many, it has been a work read about in the Sunday theatre sections of metropolitan newspapers, and heard only in snatches of particularly popular songs.

Now for the first time, anyone with even an inexpensive LP record-player attachment can hear all of Porgy and Bess and will, no doubt, find many a song or melody which will become better loved than some of those previously in the record library. (...) The man with a hi-fi listening system will be rewarded indeed, for the sound on these discs is typical of what can be done when a record manufaturer decides to do its best. And this best can be, today, wonderful to hear. (...) Columbia is also to be congratulated on a very deft handling of sound effects. These sounds - walking, doors closing, coins dropping - are held to naturelness; the stage is not suddenly stilled, a door slammed with a crash, and then the actors brought back to life again." Period SPL 580: Inez Matthews sings Spirituals accompanied by Jonathan Brice at the piano. INEZ MATTHEWS Mezzo Soprano Inez Matthews sang the role of Serena. Her beautiful voice was also preserved on Vol. 6 of the Great Voices of Today Series. Inez Matthews made her debut in New York's Town Hall when she was still in high school. One critic wrote: "A rare and luminous talent".

In the June 1954 issue of High Fidelity Magazine, John M. Conly reviewed the recording Inez Matthews sings Spirituals (Period SPL 580). What he wrote is a precise description of the voice and personallity of Inez Matthews, but now, some 55 years later, it can be read as a tribute. Mr. Conly wrote: "While still very young she was selected to sing the lead in Billy Rose's Carmen Jones. Then she got the feminine lead opposite Todd Duncan in the Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson production Lost in the Stars. Goddard Lieberson choose her as the Serena in his uncut Columbia Porgy and Bess, and Virgil Thomson made her St. Therese I in his revival of Four Saints in Three Acts. Miss Matthews won them through a liberal application of brains, a brilliant feeling for drama, a natural vocal limpidity and a trick of delivery, sparingly used, hard to describe but equally hard to resists, a sort of educated scoop which invests her full voice with a remarkable sobbing quality. In these spirituals it is electrifying. It is also exactly right.

I know of no record so convincing or so moving as this one. To put yourself to the test, hear her sing Balm in Gilead, and feel the history in it. The recording is for its purposes, practically perfect, intimate and high in level." Edward Matthews was her brother and teacher. He was Jake the Fisherman in the Columbia production of Porgy and Bess and he was St. Ignatius in Four Saints in Three Acts. Conly ends his review on a very sad note: "The week this record was issued his car skidded off a Virginia highway. He was killed." LAWRENCE WINTERS Lawrence Winters who studied with Todd Duncan sang Porgy in the 1942 revival. Then he was hired by Laszlo Halasz (New York City Center Opera) and in 1951 he was Porgy in the Goddard Lieberson production. He later went to live in Germany, Europe. Lawrence Winters Vol. I 4x 12" D-A145 Vol. II 3 x 10" D-A283 Vol.

III 3 x 10" D-A351Pictures from the original 1942 Decca album D-283. Anne Brown and Todd Duncan in front of the microphone. ALEXANDER SMALLENS The first performance of Porgy and Bess was in the Colonial Theater in Boston, on September 30, 1935. It was presented by the Theater Guild. The opera was far too long. It took hours and hours to come to an end. The costly production was directed by Rouben Mamoulian. The settings were by Sergei Soudeikine, and the orchestra was conducted by Alexander Smallens. After the problematic staging in Boston, the production went to New York, to show in the Avalon Theater. Like George Gershwin, Alexander Smallens was of Russian descent but had come to the US as a young child, whereas Gershwin was born in Brooklyn. For many years Alexander Smallens was the best advocate of George's masterpiece. He conducted highlights in 1942, released on several 78 RPM shellac records. These were later transferred to Lp: Decca DL 9024.

Smallens was also the conductor of excerpts of the opera recorded by Victor. Alexander Smallens conducted the first performance of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess Anne Brown sings Summertime and My Man 's Gone Now on Tono X 2512 from around 1950. ANNE BROWN AND SUMMERTIME According to the Internet Movie Data Base Anne Brown sang Summertime in the Gershwin biopic Rhapsody in Blue in 1945. A few years later - in 1948 - she settled in Oslo and became a Norwegian citizen. She remained the very creative and imaginative artist that she was and performed in many European cities. It was she who had suggested to George Gershwin to insert "Summertime" later in the opera for Bess to sing, illustrating how much she loved that song sung by Serena at the beginning right after the Overture. That is what George did. In Norway Anne Brown recorded "Summertime" for the TONO label on 78 RPM shellac on the B-Side. And on Side One she sang "My Man 's Gone Now".

She was accompanied by the Royal Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Johan Hye-Knudsen, or in Danish: Det kongelige Kapel og Kor, Dirigent: Joh. Hye-Knudsen. The reference number of the disc is X 2512. (I will add an audio clip later.) Leontyne Price and William Warfield Picture from the RCA Lp release with highlights of Porgy & Bess. TOURING THE USA AND EUROPE Alexander Smallens was also the conductor of the revival performances in the nineteen fifties. These were of the adaptation of the opera to make it - as a sort of musical - easily accessible. The first production, Blevin Davis and Robert Breen were the producers, toured the States and returned to open at the Dallas State Fair, on June 9, 1952. The production visited Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., and then went on tour in Europe (sponsored by the US State Department) and performed in Vienna, Berlin (Titania Palast), London, and Paris (Salle Wagram). This production was also showed in the Ziegfeld Theater (Broadway).

That was the production in which William Warfield was Porgy, and Bess was the young star, Leontyne Price. The picture of Leontyne Price and William Warfield is from the RCA Lp release with highlights. Leontine Price - Bess Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft LPM 19 199 LAWRENCE WINTERS After his success in the 1951 Columbia recording Lawrence Winters sang together with Patricia Neway, Frances Bible, Mark Harrell, and the New York City Opera under Joseph Rosenstock in Dybbuk, one of the successful opera productions during the rule of Laszlo Halasz. In the nineteen fifties he also sang the part of Daniel in the one-act opera The Devil And Daniel Webster composed by Douglas Moore, recorded by Westminster. After he had gone to live in Germany in 1959, he recorded I Got Plenty Of Nuttin, It Ain't Necessarily So, September Song, together with Ol' Man River and other songs, for German Philips 843 741 PY.

On Philips 838 903 SY he sang together with Anabelle Bernhard excerpts from Porgy and Bess in German(!), with the NDR Radio Orchestra (Rundfunk-Orchester) conducted by Richard Müller-Lampertz. The British conductor, bandleader and composer Kenneth Alwyn is known for the first release in Decca's Full Frequency Stereo Sound catalog, SXL 2001 Wide Band Label, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's 1812 Festival Overture (Overture Solennelle). Lesser known is his rather trivial arrangement of selections from Porgy and Bess which he recorded with the New World Show Orchestra. Singers were Lawrence Winters, Isabelle Lucas, Ray Ellington, Barbara Elsy, Pauline Stevens, and the Linden Singers. This recording was released on various labels like Marcato (78.113) and Imperial (ILW 513). At left the cover of the Marcato release. It is copied from the original recording with Lorenzo Fuller conducting on His Master's Voice FELP 148, the lower orange strip was there to cover the HMV logo. Did Lawrence need the money?

Probably, otherwise he would not have sung the excerpts supported by such an orchestration. Lawrence Winters was engaged at the Hamburg State Opera. He can be heard on various records. He sang in Nabucco under the baton of George Singer . On Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft LPM 19 199 with excerpts of Il Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) he sang with Anny Schlemm, Peter Anders, and Eberhard Waechter. Winters was born in Kings Creek (USA) in 1915. He died in 1965 in Hamburg, Germany. The picture of Lawrence Winters at right was taken from the record cover of the Philips release In Memoriam Lawrence Winters. Lawrence Winters Another recording with a lot of good intent is the performance of highlights conducted by Paul Belanger with singer/actor Brock Peters, sopranos Margaret Tynes, Miriam Burton and Theresa Merritte, with tenor Joseph Crawford, and baritones William Dillard and Charles Colman. The Opera Society Chorus and Orchestra are of course fake names. The Opera Society / MMS 2035, not recorded in the Netherlands.

For Brock Peters, already a well known actor, it was the prelude to his strong performance of Crown in Otto Preminger's movie. Edward Jablonski and Lawrence D. Stewart wrote 'The Gershwin Years' - The Story of George and Ira Gershwin - for a long time the standard work on the brothers and an abundant source for anyone writing about these great Americans. The good reception of this book in 1958 inspired musicians and producers in recording more Gershwin compositions. George Bassman, who had been additional music arranger for the movie 'A Damsel In Distress' (1937) and for Lady Be Good (1941), recorded selections from Lady, Be Good, Tip-Toes, Oh, Kay!, Funny Face, Rosalie, Treasure Girl, Show Girl, Strike Up The Band, Girl Crazy, Of Thee I sing, Pardon My English, Let'Em Eat Cake, Shall We Dance, A Damsel In Distress, The Goldwin Follies, and....Porgy And Bess: Introduction, Summertime, There' A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York, Bess You Is My Woman Now.

It was a 3 LP set - Decca DXSZ-7160. Singers were Paula Stewart, Richard Hayes, and Lynn Roberts. At that time the movie was in production to be released in 1959. Director - Otto Preminger The original release of the sound track was on Columbia OS 2016. SAMUEL GOLDWYN'S FILM The public had to wait for the first stereo recording till 1959 when Samual Goldwyn's lengthy movie 'Porgy And Bess' was released, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. The movie was very popular and despite the criticism was an instant success, at least in the town where I lived. Philips released the sound track of the movie with Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in a beautifully styled gatefold record cover with plenty of pictures and notes inside. Already then it was a collector's item for moviegoers. The musical performance was conceived to appeal to a large audience. It was supervised by pianist-conductor Andre Previn. Philips HI-FI STEREO 840 033 AY.

Porgy - Sidney Poitier (Voice of Robert McFerrin) Bess - Dorothy Dandridge (Voice of Adele Addison Serena - Ruth Attaway (Voice of Inez Matthews) Sporting Life - Sammy Davis Jr. (Cab Calloway Crown - Brock Peters Detective - Claude Akins SAMMY DAVIS JR. & CARMEN MCRAE For contractual reasons the voice of Sammy Davis Jr. could not be used in the sound track and was dubbed by the voice of Cab Calloway. But Decca made a recording with Sammy Davis Jr. together with Carmen McRae which was released as Decca DL 8854. In the various selections the orchestra was conducted by Jack Pleis, Buddy Bregman and Marty Stevens respectively. At left the cover. The singing of Porgy (Sidney Poitiers) was done by Robert McFerrin. See the page with Trivia at the IMdB website. WHERE IS THE MOVIE? The film did not get the full approval from the Gershwin estate and was only shown when it was first released and only on two occasions in the years afterwards.

Many people do criticise this as the movie is an important chance for the youth of today to get into contact with Gershwin's masterpiece and with his music in general. The slick and somewhat over-sentimental approach of the performance in musical-style for the general public is a far move from the original score, but many said "Who cares?" See for more information The Passionate Moviegoer and read the disapproval by many in the forum at IMdB.com . There are however other recordings which should be criticised more than Otto Preminger's Porgy & Bess of which the singing and the music were supervised by pianist-conductor Andre Previn. One of those recordings to be critical about is the ugly Kenneth Alwyn orchestration and other obscure recordings like the Golden Tone High Fidelity recording of highlights on C 4017, coupled with songs from Carousel. This last record contains either bootlegged compilations or poor recordings of local performances. And there are many more. This showed all the more that the world has always been in need of a good recording of the folk-opera. 35 MM SOUND RECORDING The Command Classic 35 mm recording is special because of three things, maybe four.

It is one of the recordings of the Symphonic Picture for Orchestra, an arrangement written by Robert Russell Bennett. The Symphonic Suite "Catfish Row" was written in 1943 and premiered in that year by Alexander Smallens conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. There are a few other recordings of this orchestral suite, by Antal Dorati, by Eduardo Mata, by Felix Slatkin, and by Andre Previn. It seems that recording this score is gone somewhat out of fashion. Well, what is remarkable is that this Command Classic CC 11037 SD, is directed by William Steinberg and played by the Pittsburg Symphony, the house orchestra of the label at the time. The performance is recorded by C. Robert Fine and Robert Eberenz, who were responsible for so many outstanding Mercury recordings. Outstanding because of the microphone placement, the use of 35 mm recording film and - last but not least - the way the lacquer was cut by George Piros. Here it is also Piros who did the cutting. And finally there are two pictures on the cover. One of William Steinberg.

And one of Fritz Reiner (who is not conducting here, but he commissioned the work), together with George Gershwin, Deems Taylor, and... Robert Russell Bennett. It was taken in 1931, long before Porgy & Bess was conceived. Robert knew George and he made several arrangements of Gershwin shows in the 1930s. Morton Gould made arrangements for his own Suite and recorded it in mono for RCA together with An American in Paris. At right the edition issued in Germany at the time by TelDec - LM-2002 C. Ethel Aylor - in a lush photograph taken by Sam Kasakoff - adorns the cover of Westminster Natural Stereo Balance WST 14063. Maurice Abravanel is conducting the Utah Symphony. The Suite is coupled with Aaron Copland's El Salón México. Westminster was the first record label to make a recording of the Suite of Porgy & Bess created in January 1936 by George Gershwin himself which shows of course authenticity, but also underlines the better concept of "Catfish Row" from 1943, written by Robert Russell Bennett.

After Gershwin had died, the Suite remained in Ira Gershwin's family papers until Maurice Abravanel proposed to make a recording. It was released in 1960. However... There are always people who want to have the best seat in the theatre for a dime. Not only they will find out that buying the cheap 10" Allegro 4114 recording of Gershwin's arrangement of the Porgy and Bess Suite played by the Broadway Symphonic Jazz Orchestra directed by S. Auber is a bad investment, but they may suspect that this Allegro disc may have been made well before Maurice Abravanel did the recording for Westminster. Another recording of the Suite appeared in 1974 on the East German Eterna label and was played by the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, conducted by Kurt Masur. The disc also containes An American in Paris and Cuban Overture. Eterna 8 26 779. The Grand Prix mono release from Pickwick International with yet another arrangement or just part of the Suite from Porgy and Bess written by Gershwin himself.

On Side Two there is a fraction of Rhapsody in Blue, in fact the main theme. These mutilated appearances are by John Senati and The Bravo Pops Symphony Orchestra, if you don't mind. A LONDON PHASE FOUR RECORDING And then there is the arrangement by the distinguished Canadian composer and conductor Robert Farnon - as Decca/London puts it - who has undertaken a completely new transcription of highlights from Porgy and Bess and includes themes which cannot be found in the Robert Russel Bennett Suite. Farnon's arrangement borders on Edmundo Ross and a popular jazzy orchestra and is entertaining, yet it is a far cry from the disguished Robert Russell Bennet. PFS 4109. JAZZ Jazz and Gershwin is a long chapter, but putting the link, of course, is kicking in an already open door. At left the label of the original British 78 rpm pressing with the composer at the piano playing Rhapsody in Blue with Paul Whiteman and his Concert Orchestra. Reference number G-C 1395; the equivalent of Victor 35 822.

The Gregg Smith Singers conducted by Gregg Smith THE GERSHWINS This is the authorative and complete book about the Gershwins which every admirer of George Gershwin's music and Ira Gershwin's Lyrics should own. It deals with all the musical shows, the Rhapsody in Blue, The Concerto in F, the Second Rhapsody, and the opera. It is written and compiled by Robert Kimball and Alfred Simon, and places the Gershwins in the context of the period they lived in. The book is beautifully designed by Bea Feitler. The very sympathetic preface is written by Richard Rogers. The book which was first published in 1973 (Bonanza Books, New York), may have inspired many a record producer and stage director. Scipio - Alex Carrington Jasbo Brown - Dick Hyman - piano RCA released the production by the Houston Grand Opera: Children's Chorus, Houston Grand Opera Chorus and Orchestra conducted by John DeMain. RCA Red Seal RL02109 - 3 Lp record set. Cornel Richie, Myra Merritt, Phyllis Bash, Carol Brice and Alexander B. Smalls.

In September of 1977 the RCA set - which was less sweet and gentle, yet captivating in its rawness - was released. It claimed to be the first original version, more so than the Decca Maazel recording. Right from the start there were strong preferences for this or that performance and recording. The DECCA SET may be extremely well recorded and landed in the List of the Absolute Sound (TAS List), but there is also much to say for the directness of the RCA recording and performance. At left the cast. Jasbo Brown is Dick Hyman. The late Marcel Prawy , dramaturg and producer, who came to the USA in 1939 and obtained his American citizenship in 1942, protested against the claim by the Houston Opera and the RCA people that they had produced the first original version. It may have been the first recording of the original version, but not the first production of the original version. That production was mounted in Vienna in 1965 long before RCA and the Housten Opera Company worked together. This is what Marcel Prawy wrote in his autobiography: Clamma Davis and Donnie Ray Albert.

Olive Moorefield (Bess) and William Warfield (Porgy), in the first production of the original score of Porgy and Bess, Vienna October 19, 1965. Image taken from "Marcel Prawy erzählt aus seinem Leben" - Marcel Prawy talks about his life - Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna, 2001. Image copyright Kremayr & Scheriau. "I owe a deep insight into the creativity of George Gershwin to a wonderful man with whom I became friends in New York. There his name was Albert Sirmai (also written as Szirmay, ed.) (...) managing director of the famous Chappell Publishing Company and who earlier had been a close collaborator of George Gershwin. Nearly all Gershwin's piano scores show his name as a publisher. Countless times I have visited him after office hours at Chapell's and did not get tired to listen to his stories about George Gershwin.

Because of his inadequate classical music studies, Gershwin suffered from poor selfesteem, and was a Wagnerian, and Sirmai had always to explain the technique of the 'Leitmotiv' (leading motif) of his idol. He (Sirmai. ed.) once showed me a 'Meistersinger' opera vocal score with Gershwin's written remarks. "Porgy" is indeed the only opera which exists with the most 'leading motifs' ever. The premiere performance in the year 1935 in the Alvin Theatre was no good - except for the leading performers Todd Duncan and Anne Brown. And when I came to America in 1939 people still said to me (...) that Porgy, the last (composition) of Gershwin, was nothing.(...) Than they remodeled "Porgy and Bess", inserted spoken dialog (these are hardly present in the original), the heavy chorusses were abridged, and changed it into a musical. That was an immense triumph in 1942. (...) I was present. Suddenly there was a musical which had less similarity with Gershwin's opera, but had started a triumphant tour.

I was the first who said to director Moser of the "Volksoper": "What in fact about the original which was never performed? As an opera house we have all the possibilities - Gershwin never did have these. Why don't we do that for the first time in Vienna?" Moser agreed. And in 1965 we did produce for the first time the original score of "Porgy and Bess", as a large, heavy opera with a large orchestra, big chorusses, with these difficult things to sing, for the first time in the world on October 19, 1965, at the Volksoper.

(Olive) Moorefield was Bess, William Warfield Porgy, and I was very proud of the headline in an American newspaper: "Vienna gave Gershwin what America did refuse him." - Marcel Prawy Coroner - Hansford Rowe ETERNA - GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC From 1984 is the Philips recording of highlights performed by Simon Estes (Porgy, Sportin' Life), Roberta Alexander (Bess, Clara, Serena), Diana Murray (Maria), the Berlin Radio Chorus, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and conductor Leonard Slatkin. The recording was made in cooperation with VEB Deutsche Schallplatten of the well known Eterna label from then the German Democratic Republic (DDR). The sound of this LP and CD have the typical and well-known open sound from ETERNA as the performances were most certainly recorded in a church. Roberta Alexander who is well known from her Mahler recording with Bernard Haitink and songs on the Etcetera label, gives a fine account of "I loves you Porgy". Philips 412 720.

METROPOLITAN OPERA Simon Estes, Roberta Alexander, sung and acted with Charles Williams, Gregg Baker, Florence Quivar in a 1985 Metropolitan production conducted by James Levine. The list of performers is seen at left. It is a historic performance in the sense that it was recorded more than two decades ago on March 23rd. It is made available by Opera-Club.net , where downloadable complete recordings of a variety of historic and not so historic performances are offered, from Armide to Rosenkavalier to Porgy and Bess. They even have a recording from the 1952 European tour with William Warfield, Leontyne Price, Cab Calloway, John McCurry, Joseph James a.o. with the RIAS Unterhaltungs-orchester and The Eva Jessye Chorus, Alexander Smallens conducting. The performance toolk place in the Titania Palast, September 21, 1952.

GLYNDEBOURNE 1989 - BBC 1993 The Glyndebourne production of Porgy & Bess with Cynthia Haymon, Cynthia Clarey, Harolyn Blackwell, Willard White, Bruce Hubbard, Damon Evans, Gregg Baker; Johnny Worthy, Autris Paige, Paula Ingram, Gregg Baker, Linda Thompson Williams, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, and Sir Simon Rattle, conducting, was recorded by EMI in the Abbey Road Studios in 1988. This recording was used as sound track for a video registration made in 1993. Two roles were acted by different artists in this filmed version. This method of dubbing has been used before. Famous are several sequences in the West Side Story movie. Other examples can be seen in films produced with Herbert von Karajan of his Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra players. The filmed version as well as the original Glyndebourne performance was hailed by many who never had attended a performance of Porgy & Bess or had not listened to other productions before. The performance was also criticised, especially by those who had a more deepened knowledge of the opera.

Since this Porgy and Bess was a filmed performance without the artists singing while being filmed, the intensity was not always there. There are of course always exceptions to the rule. Watch and listen to Willard White and Cynthia Haymon who sing Bess you is my woman now on YouTube. There are instances where the synchronisation is not always correct. (Uploaded by Courtney D. James) Conductor Simon Rattle wanted to make a mark with a showman's concept rather then a more integer, soul searching intention. A reviewer of the performance justly mentioned the ultra slow Summertime which misses the tension of the expectation of the drama to come, the drama of love, life, crime, deception and hope. Furthermore Porgy is walking around with crutches while in the original he rides in a goat car. And when at the end he sings I'm on My Way and goes to New York to find Bess, he throws his crutches away and walks... a miracle has happened.

Porgy and Bess was presented by the Stardust Theatre & Impressario in the Royal Carré Theatre in Amsterdam - April 4 till May 12, 2008, with the Orchestra and Chorus of The New York Harlem Theatre, directed by William Barkhymer. At left the program. There was some critisism, but singers, musicians, director and producer gave their best somewhat obstructed also by the rather mediocre acoustics in the Carré Theatre which were wrongly corrected by the technicians responsible for optimal sound. And that also prevented the public to appreciate the performances fully. These performances were part of a grand tour through Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada. Performances took place in Amsterdam, Antwerp, St, Petersburg, Moscow, Hamburg, Dresden, Linz, etc. Terry Lee Cook - Porgy Donita Volkwijn - Bess Cedric Cannon - Crown Marjorie Wharton - Maria NICOLAUS HARNONCOURT It is impossible to mention on this page all the performances that took place over the years. An interesting name but unexpectedly linked for once to Gershwin´s masterpiece is that of Nicolaus Harnoncourt.

He conducted the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in performances given in Graz (Austria) to the occasion of Harnoncourt's 80th birthday. Harnoncourt included African drums and the Arnold Schönberg Choir had to study the Galla dialect! Main performers were Jonathan Lemalu (Porgy), Isabelle Kabatu (Bess), and Angela Renee Simpson (Serena). Samples of this performance can be found on RCA . Gershwin lovers are devided over this performance and recording. The immediate question is: Is it Porgy & Bess with a baroque flavour or is it a revolutionnary performance which will take the listener to the heart of the story and the score? One thing is sure. The Harnoncourt recording is different and it seems that the aim was to render the score in a metaculously detailed fashion. But what is also true is that some of the soul is missing and therefor this performance is more for the classical music oriented person than for the lover of the authenticity of Gershwin's masterpiece which had been so amply given in the 1951 Lehman/Lieberson production.

2010: 75 YEARS OF PORGY & BESS "To celebrate the 75th anniversary of George Gershwins enduring masterpiece, a new production of Porgy and Bess is being mountedwith the full approval of the Gershwin estateby veteran opera producer Michael Capasso (General Director of New Yorks vibrant Dicapo Opera). Porgy and Bess, featuring a stellar cast and live orchestra, will be directed by renowned American Charles Randolph-Wright (writer and director of the film Mama I Want to Sing, to be released February 2010"), conducted by Music Director Pacien Mazzagatti, and produced in association with Willette Murphy Klausner. With a new orchestration by Mr. Mazzagatti, brand-new sets designed by John Farrell, costumes by Ildikó Márta Debreczeni, and lighting by Susan Roth, Porgy and Bess kicks off its 26-U.S.

city tour February 18, 2010 in Van Wert, Ohio." For a complete tour schedule see at the end of this Toledo Opera Porgy & Bess Student Night at the Opera Performance on Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 7pm The Historic Valentine Theatre - Conducted by James Meena A broken Beggar and a Desperate Woman A Hot and Tumultuous Summer Gershwin's Monumental Masterpiece George Gershwin's classic American folk opera went from Broadway in 1935 to the Met in 1985. "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" are just two of the musical gems you will hear in our concert version presented with evocative digital projections. This is opera in your native language: not just the words, but also the music! While eternally controversial in its depiction of racial stereotypes, Porgy has secured its place as a piece of Americana, a mixture of jazz and opera.

This production features acclaimed Wagner baritone Gordon Hawkins, soprano Laquita Mitchell whose Bess with San Francisco Opera was just released on DVD, and is conducted by Toledo Opera Principal Artistic Advisor, Maestro James Meena. Don't miss this piece which could only have been made in America! Presenting Sponsor: Folk Opera in 2 Acts – Concert performance Approximate running time: 2 hours 15 minutes with one intermission SETTING: Catfish Row, Charleston, South Carolina - 1920’s ACT I Scene 1: Catfish Row, a summer evening Clara sings a lullaby to her baby (Summertime) as the working men prepare for a game of craps. Clara's husband, Jake, tries his own lullaby (A Woman is a Sometime Thing) with little effect. Porgy, a cripple and a beggar, enters on his goat cart to organize the game. Crown, a lowlife, and his woman Bess enter, and the game begins. Sportin' Life, the local supplier of cocaine and bootleg alcohol, also joins in. One by one, the players get crapped out, leaving only Robbins and Crown, who have become extremely drunk.

When Robbins wins, Crown starts a fight, and kills Robbins. Crown runs, telling Bess to fend for herself. All the residents reject her, except Porgy, who shelters her. Scene 2: Serena's Room, the following night The mourners sing a spiritual to Robbins (Gone, Gone, Gone). To raise money for his burial, a saucer is placed on his chest for the mourners' donations (Overflow). A white detective enters, in a speaking voice telling Serena (Robbins' wife) that she must bury her husband soon, or his body will be given to medical students. He arrests Peter (a bystander), whom he will force to testify against Crown. Serena laments her loss in My Man's Gone Now. The undertaker enters, and agrees to bury Robbins as long as Serena promises to pay him back. Bess and the chorus finish the act with Leavin' for the Promise' Lan' . Scene 3: Catfish Row, a month later, in the morning Jake and the other fishermen prepare for work (It take a long pull to get there). Clara asks Jake not to go, and to come to a picnic, but he tells her that they desperately need the money.

This causes Porgy to sing from his window about his outlook on life (I got plenty o' nuttin’). Sportin' Life waltzes around, selling cocaine, but soon incurs the wrath of Maria (I hates yo' struttin' style). A fraudulent lawyer, Frazier, arrives and farcically divorces Bess from Crown. Archdale, a white lawman, enters and informs Porgy that Peter will soon be released. The bad omen of a buzzard flies over Catfish Row, causing Porgy to sing Buzzard keep on flyin' over. As the rest of Catfish Row prepares for the picnic, Sportin' Life asks Bess to start a new life with him in New York; she refuses. Bess and Porgy are now left alone, and express their love for each other (Bess, you is my woman now). The chorus re-enters in high spirits as they prepare to leave for the picnic (Oh, I can't sit down). Bess leaves Porgy behind as they go off to the picnic. Porgy reprises I got plenty o' nuttin’ in high spirits.

ACT II Scene 1: Kittiwah Island, that evening The chorus enjoys themselves at the picnic (I ain't got no shame doin' what I like to do!). Sportin' Life presents the chorus his cynical views on the Bible (It ain't necessarily so), causing Serena to chastise them (Shame on all you sinners!). Crown enters to talk to Bess, and he reminds her that Porgy is "temporary." Bess wants to leave Crown forever (Oh, what you want wid Bess?) but Crown makes her follow him into hiding in the woods. Scene 2: Catfish Row, a week later, just before dawn Jake leaves to go fishing with his crew, and Peter returns from prison. Bess is lying in Porgy's room, sick with a fever. Serena prays to remove Bess's affliction (Oh, doctor Jesus). The Strawberry Woman and the Crab Man sing their calls on the street, and Bess soon recovers from her fever. Bess talks with Porgy about her sins (I wants to stay here) before exclaiming I loves you, Porgy. Porgy promises to protect her from Crown.

The scene ends with the hurricane bell signaling an approaching storm. Scene 3: Serena's Room, dawn of the next day The residents of Catfish Row drown out the sound of the storm with prayer. A knock is heard at the door, and the chorus believes it to be Death (Oh there's somebody knocking at the door). Crown enters dramatically, seeking Bess. The chorus tries praying to make Crown leave, causing him to goad them with the un-Christian A red-headed woman make a choo-choo jump its track. Clara sees Jake's boat turn over in the river, and she runs out to try and save him. Crown says that Porgy is not a real man, as he cannot go out to rescue her from the storm. Crown goes himself, and the chorus finishes its prayer. Clara dies in the storm, and Bess will now care for her baby. Scene 4: Catfish Row, the next night The chorus mourns Clara and Jake (Clara, Clara, don't you be downhearted). Crown enters to claim Bess, and a fight ensues, which ends with Porgy killing Crown.

Porgy exclaims to Bess, You've got a man now. You've got Porgy! Scene 5: Catfish Row, the next afternoon A detective enters and talks with Serena and Maria about the murders of Crown and Robbins. They deny knowledge of Crown's murder, causing the detective to question an apprehensive Porgy. He asks Porgy to come and identify Crown's body. Sportin' Life tells Porgy that corpses bleed in the presence of their murderers, and the detective will use this to hang Porgy. Porgy refuses to identify the body, and is arrested for contempt of court. Sportin' Life forces Bess to take cocaine, and then tells her that Porgy will be locked up for a long time. He tells her that she should start a new life with him in New York with the dazzling There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New York. She shuts the door on his face, but he knows that doubt at Porgy's return will make her follow him.

Scene 6: Catfish Row, a week later Porgy is released from jail and returns to Catfish Row richer, after playing craps with his cellmates with his "lucky bones", as he calls his dice. He gives gifts to the residents, and does not understand why they all seem so downhearted. He sees Clara's baby is now with Serena and madly asks where Bess is. Maria and Serena tell him that Bess has run off with Sportin' Life to New York. All three sing the trio O Bess, oh where's my Bess. Porgy calls for his goat cart, and leaves for New York to find Bess in the closing song Oh Lawd, I'm on my way. Gordon Hawkins (Porgy) Gordon Hawkins is critically acclaimed throughout the world for his in-depth interpretations and lush baritone voice. A dramatic baritone with an international reputation as a “Rigoletto specialist,” Mr. Hawkins has delighted audiences as the tragic Verdi underdog in more than 170 performances. He is now earning critical acclaim as a Wagner specialist: “Alberich was superbly realized by baritone Gordon Hawkins, in his [Los Angeles Opera] début.

Despite wearing a grotesque puppet head and clunky boots that hobbled his movements, Hawkins delivered a sterling vocal characterization of the power-mad Nibelung.” (Opera News). This season, he is performing the title role in Vancouver Opera’s production of Rigoletto, Porgy in Porgy and Bess in Concert at Toledo Opera, Scarpia in Tosca with the Cincinnati Opera, a recital entitled War and Remembrance at The Clarice Center for the Performing Arts, and Alberich in The Ring Cycle at Washington National Opera. Laquita Mitchell (Bess) Soprano Laquita Mitchell consistently earns acclaim at eminent international opera companies, leading performances with Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, and Opéra Comique in Paris, among many others.

This season she will be appearing in One River, One Land, One People by Hannibal Lokumbe with Maestro Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra; sing in two recitals with Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, performing works by Samuel Barber, John Carter and Lee Hoiby; reprises the role of Bess in Porgy and Bess with the Toledo Opera, Springfield Symphony, and Baltimore Symphony, and will be a featured soloist in a Gala Concert with Jerry Steichen and Friends in Tonkawa, OK. Ms. Mitchell also makes her New York Philharmonic début alongside Eric Owens this fall in In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy. Robert Mack (Sportin Life) A member of the critically-acclaimed Three Mo’ Tenors, Robert Mack receives glorious reviews for his powerful and sweet lyric tenor voice, throughout the US and Europe.

He has performed principal roles with noted opera companies, such as Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera, Opéra Française de New York, Nashville Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Indianapolis Opera, The Paris Bastille, The Teatro Real in Spain, The Royal Danish Theater, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and is on the roster of The Metropolitan Opera. He performs tenor solos with The Collegiate Chorale and The Alvin Ailey Dance Company in Revelations and performed in Spoleto Festival’s premier of Amistad. He also performed on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café. He can be heard on DECCA records, Paragon records KSW Music. Mr. Mack co-founded and is the General Director of Opera Noire of New York. Othalie Graham (Serena) Canadian-American Soprano Othalie Graham is receiving critical acclaim internationally. This season sees Ms. Graham sing Turandot at Nashville Opera, Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in concert with Toledo Opera and Springfield Symphony, and a Wagner Gala with Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM.

Recent engagements include the title role of Aïda with Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera, and with the Festival Euro Mediterraneo at Teatro Greco di Siracusa; the title role in Turandot with Michigan Opera Theatre and Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM, Isolde in Tristan und Isolde in concert in Zagreb, Croatia; Minnie in La fanciulla del West with Indianapolis Opera and Nashville Opera, Prima Donna/Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos at Festival Opera, Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in concert with Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and Verdi’s Requiem with The Händel Society of Dartmouth.

Kenneth Overton (Jake) Kenneth Overton is lauded for blending his opulent baritone with magnetic and varied portrayals that seemingly “emanate from deep within body and soul.” As a leading baritone, Kenneth has sung with Opera Memphis, Nashville Opera, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Houston Ebony Opera Guild, Opera Delaware, Sacramento Opera, and Opera Carolina, with roles including Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Schaunard (La bohème), Ping (Turandot) as well as Angelotti (Tosca), Bello and Sid (La Fancuilla del West). Kenneth released his first solo CD, Been In De Storm So Long: Songs My Fathers Taught Me, in homage to the spiritual tradition that has been formative in his artistic life. In step with this legacy, Kenneth is co-founder and artistic director of Opera Noire of New York, a performing arts organization created to empower African-American artists to reach their full creative potential in a supportive environment.

Sabrina Elayne Carten (Maria) A native of New York City, began her career with The Chautauqua Symphony singing The Strawberry Woman in Gershwin's timeless masterpiece Porgy and Bess. Ms. Carten has sung several roles in this opera to national and international acclaim. She made her New York City Opera debut as Maria and most recently her debut in The Royal Danish Opera Theater's historic performance as Serena. Ms. Carten has sung the role of Queenie on the national Broadway tour of Hal Prince's Showboat and was also The Blues Singer in One Night with Janis Joplin to rave reviews. Ms. Carten is the recipient of The Los Angeles Drama Critics' Cirlce Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as the Blues Singer as well as The NAACP Theater Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. Darren K. Stokes (Frazier/Undertaker) Darren Stokes began to study piano until he was introduced to classical singing while studying for his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Norfolk State University. In 1995, after studying voice as an elective course, Mr.

Stokes sang in various gospel groups touring the state of New York and performing in a few recordings for American and European vocalists. Darren has sung various comprimarios and lead roles from Count Ceprano, In Rigoletto, to Ferrando in the Amato Opera Theater’s production of Il Trovatore. In the spring of 2004 Darren made his debut as York in Michael Ching’s Opera Corps of Discovery at Opera Memphis and has, since then, returned to perform the role of Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Darren’s transition from chemist to opera singer has definitely been successful. He is the winner of the Leo M. Rogers Award for outstanding apprentice while performing as an apprentice in the Sarasota Opera company and upcoming for Mr. Stokes are the following: concerts with The Buffalo Philharmonic (Romeo and Juliet) and Richmond Symphony (Dona nobis pacem).

Thomas Beard (Robbins) Lyric Dramatic Baritone, Thomas Beard became the only African-American male singer to be personally chosen by Maestro & famous tenor Plácido Domingo to be a part of Washington National Opera's Plácido Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program working directly under the Maestro's tutelage. He has appeared as Marcello in La Bohème, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Escamillo in Carmen, and in the title role of Gianni Schicchi. Mr. Beard made his John F. Kennedy Center début as Corporal Morrel in Carmen Jones staring Vanessa Williams and conducted by Placido Domingo. He recently sang his first Giorgio Germont in WNO's version of La Traviata directed by Marta Domingo. In June of 2005, Mr. Beard débuted in the title role of Verdi's Rigoletto. Most recently he performed a Patriot Day Celebration with the VA Medical Chorale & Symphony Orchestra where he performed with Gospel Great & Grammy winner Larnelle Harris and Metropolitan opera star Harolyn Blackwell.

Alaina Brown (Clara) Soprano Alaina Brown has gained National and International recognition for her interpretation of Handel and Mozart, and most recently her dramatic performance of The Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute. The Cincinnati Post named her as “The Young Artist to watch” following her debut with the Cincinnati Opera as Frasquita in Carmen. Ms. Brown made her European debut as Mary Stone in a new production of The Devil and Daniel Webster, in Palermo, Italy. Currently, Ms. Brown is a cast member of the International tour of Porgy and Bess and has performed the role of The Strawberry Woman in several opera houses across Europe. Ms. Brown has made several appearances on the Detroit Opera House stage, most recently performing the role of Die Vertreter from Elektra. She has been a guest soloist with The Dallas Symphony and The Orchestra Filarmonica Siciliana Palermo Italy, to name a few. Bernard Damon Holcomb (Mingo/Crabman/Nelson) In demand tenor Bernard Holcomb is quickly establishing himself as a promising operatic talent. This season, he made his début as Martin in Aaron Copeland's The Tender Land at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Recent engagements include appearances with Renée Fleming and Patrick Stewart in Second City’s Guide to the Opera, Il Duca in Rigoletto (Opera in the Heights) Alfredo in La traviata (Pine Mountain Festival), Nathanaël in Les contes d’Hoffmann (Chicago Lyric), Rodolfo in La bohéme (Civic Orchestra of Chicago), and Gastone in La traviata (Michigan Opera). Cornelius V. Johnson III, tenor (Peter/Honey Man) Tenor Cornelius Johnson’s voice has been hailed by critics as “expressive and soaring” (Post Standard). Recent performances have included Camille in The Merry Widow with the Lyric Theatre Illinois and Peter in Porgy and Bess with the Jacksonville Symphony. Other career highlights include performances of Don Josè in Carmen, with Opera North at the Ravinia Music Festival and as Tamino in The Magic Flute with the Lyric Opera of Chicago “Opera In The Neighborhoods.” Mr.

Johnson has also been seen as Vuval in Troubled Island with the South Shore Opera, Spoletta in Tosca and Goro in Madama Butterfly with Connecticut Opera, and Peter the Honeyman in Porgy and Bess at the Opera Bastille, La Scala, Teatro Real, and the Bunkamura Theater (Tokyo Philharmonic). A versatile artist, his concert repertoire includes performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Bach’s Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Wynton Marsalis’ Abyssinian Mass.

Samantha McElhaney (Strawberry Woman/Lily/Annie) Samantha is an American Soprano whose voice has been described as "one of those dramatic, heroic, and epic, full-throated voices that comes along once in a lifetime." Operatic audiences have largely celebrated Samantha McElhaney for her most notable roles as Nella in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, 1st Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Elisetta in Cimarosa's Il Matrimonio Segreto, Barbarina in Monzart's Le Nozze di Figaro, and Strawberry Woman in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. These signature roles have brought Ms. McElhaney to the Washington National Opera Company, the San Francisco Opera, the Royal Danish Opera, the Washington Symphony Orchestra, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC), Carnegie Hall (New York, NY), the National Cathedral (Washington, DC), the Smithsonian (Washington, DC), the Citadel (Cairo, Eygpt), the National Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Maryland Opera Studio; earning her numerous press acknowledgements and remarkable performance reviews.

Michael Redding (Crown) Atlanta-born baritone Michael Redding has been thrilling audiences in the US and Europe with his vocalism and theatrical presence. His experience with Porgy and Bess began in the summer of 2004 when he travelled throughout Europe with New York Harlem Productions Inc’s Porgy and Bess playing Crown and Jake. In addition he has performed these roles as well as the title role with the Evansville Philharmonic, Opera Carolina, the Natchez Festival of Music, New Orleans Opera, Seattle Opera, Virginia Opera and Atlanta Opera. Mr. Redding has appeared in a concert-version under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle with Berliner Philharmoniker as well as with Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Other operatic roles include the title role in DON GIOVANNI, Escamillo LA TRAGÉDIE DE CARMEN, Sacristan TOSCA, Betto GIANNI SCHICCHI, Gregorio ROMÉO ET JULIETTE, Schaunard LA BOHÈME, Eisenstein DIE FLEDERMAUS, Marco GIANNI SCHICCHI and Giuseppe THE GONDOLIERS.

James Meena, Music Director James Meena, Toledo Opera’s Principal Artistic Advisor and Opera Carolina’s General Director & Principal Conductor, consistently earns critical acclaim for his artistic vision and dynamic presence on the podium. The breadth of his repertoire spans the standard works of Mozart, Puccini and Verdi to contemporary works including Carlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree and Victor Davies’ Transit of Venus. Conducting career highlights of recent seasons include new productions for Opera Carolina, performances with the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony in a nationally televised concert, performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, R.O.C., concerts with the Cairo Symphony (Egypt) in the new Cairo Opera House, and repeated engagements with Edmonton Opera. He has appeared as guest conductor with orchestras and opera companies in the United States, Italy, Taipei, Korea, Canada, and Mexico. Porgy and Bess Porgy and Bess Please visit our sister sites: Porgy and Bess Libretto by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin after the novel and play Porgy Undoubtedly the most-performed American opera of all time, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and songs like "Summertime," have become deeply embedded in American culture.

Cast of Characters Residents of Catfish Row Synopsis On Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, Jasbo Brown is playing the blues for a group of dancers. Clara sings a lullaby to her child ("Summertime"). The drug dealer Sporting Life, Clara's husband Jake, and some of the other men are playing craps. Jake sings his child a lullaby of his own ("A woman is a sometime thing"). The beggar Porgy comes in to join the game; he defends Crown's woman, Bess, who the others are talking about. When Jake accuses him of being soft on her, Porgy says that he isn't soft on any woman; God made him a cripple and meant him to be lonely. Crown enters with Bess. He's drunk, and when he loses he starts a fight and kills Robbins with a cotton hook. Crown runs to hide, but tells Bess he'll be back. Sporting Life offers to take her to New York with him, but she refuses. Nobody else will give her shelter when the police arrive except Porgy. Porgy and Bess are at Robbins' funeral, where Serena is leading the mourners.

The police enter and arrest Peter as a "material witness." Serena is still mourning ("My man's gone now") as she convinces the undertaker to bury Robbins for less than his usual fee, but as the scene ends, Bess leads the mourners in a spiritual. ("Oh, the train is at the station"). A few weeks later, Jake and the Fishermen are working on their nets when Porgy leans out the window and compares his life to theirs. ("I got plenty o' nuttin'"). Maria, a shopkeeper, chases Sportin' Life away from her shop when he tries to sell his 'happy dust' near her store ("I hates yo' struttin' style"). Lawyer Frazier comes in and sells Bess a divorce for a dollar; when he learns that she and Crown were never married, he raises his fee to a dollar and a half. Mr. Archdale, a well-meaning white man, comes in and offers to pay Peter's bail. The group is frightened by a low-flying buzzard. Porgy chases it away, saying that trouble is far away from him now ("Boss, dat bird mean trouble").

All leave except Bess and Sporting Life, who asks her again to come to New York with him and tries to give her more dope, which she refuses. Porgy chases him away and he and Bess sing about their new happiness. ("Bess, you is my woman now"). All except Porgy leave for the church picnic. At the picnic, Sporting Life sings about his own brand of religion ("It ain't necessarily so"). All are getting ready to leave when Crown, hidden in the bushes, calls out to Bess. She tells him she's Porgy's woman now, but he won't let her go. ("What you want wid Bess?"). He pushes her off into the thicket as the boat leaves without her. Some time later, the fishermen are getting ready to leave as Bess raves, still delirious after Crown's attack. Peter wants to send her to the hospital, but Serena would rather pray over her. The street fills with vendors, and eventually Bess emerges, and explains to Porgy that she wants to stay with him but that when Crown comes she'll have to go with him.

Porgy tells her that she doesn't have to go with him ("I loves you, Porgy"). A hurricane begins to rise, and Clara, frightened for her husband, calls out his name. Everyone, gathered in Clara's room, prays for shelter from the storm. There is a knock at the door; Crown enters and tries to take Bess away; he laughs at the frightened townspeople and sings a bawdy song to counteract their prayers ("A red-headed woman"). Clara sees Jake's boat and runs out to find him. Bess calls for a man to go after her; Crown goes, after taunting Porgy and asking him why he won't go. After the storm, the women are crying for their men; Sporting Life teases them and Bess. Crown enters; he and Porgy fight, and Porgy kills him. The police and the coroner come to Catfish Row the next morning; they want to take Porgy down to identify Crown's body. Sportin' Life tells him that when he looks at him Crown't wound will begin to bleed.

Telling Bess that Porgy will be locked up for sure, Sportin' Life forces some dope on her, and leaves more outside her door as he leaves. Porgy returns; while he tries to distribute the gifts he bought with the money he made playing craps in jail, he discovers Bess is gone ("Oh, Bess, oh where's my Bess"). He learns that she has gone off with Sportin' Life to New York; he gets in his goat-cart and prepares to follow her as the curtain falls. Performance History

Question: In which opera does Lily the Strawberry Woman appear?
Answer: Porgy and Bess