Three other great recordings
John Demain (conductor)
‘The whole truth at last’ was one reviewer’s verdict when Houston Grand Opera’s epochal production of Porgy and Bess hit the stage in 1976. It was the first time the opera had been staged absolutely complete, and this cast recording crackles with theatrical energy. Donnie Ray Albert and
Clamma Dale are excellent in the title roles, and conductor John Demain’s swashbuckling players sound more like a Broadway pit band than a symphony orchestra. Slightly dry, occasionally harsh sound puts this just behind Maazel in the ratings.
(RCA 88697985112)
Simon Rattle (conductor)
Simon Rattle’s
Porgy derives from Glyndebourne’s classic 1986 production and has been widely lauded. Compared to Maazel, however, Rattle’s tempos are more extreme, at times over-excitable. Act I, for instance, scoots off at Keystone Cops velocity, sounding scrambled. Slow music is occasionally over-milked too, the great ‘Bess, you is my woman now’ sounding alarmingly like Puccini. But there’s no doubting the sparks that Rattle strikes,
with a solid cast that includes Willard White and Cynthia Haymon in the title roles and an excellent chorus. (Warner Classics 9029590064)
Alexander Smallens (conductor)
Ever wondered what the original Porgy and Bess sounded like? This priceless Naxos reissue includes the eight tracks recorded by role creators Todd Duncan and Anne Brown for Decca in 1940, plus other historic Porgy performances. Both Brown and Duncan sing with a remarkable tenderness and dignity hard to find today, and Alexander Smallens (who conducted the premiere) accompanies with easeful flexibility. This is a highlights package, but any Gershwin lover will want it in their library. (Naxos 8110219-20)
And one to avoid…
This boisterous 2006 Porgy is fine as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough. Conductor John Mauceri’s aim was to reconstruct the version of Gershwin’s opera heard by its original Broadway audiences, and record only that. At least 40 minutes of cuts are the consequence, including most of the ‘Jazzbo Brown’ piano music and Porgy’s wonderful ‘Buzzard Song’. Historically interesting, perhaps, but no more than that.