Porgy and Bess (2006)

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The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Studio album by George Gershwin
Released	September 12, 2006
Recorded	February 24-25, 2006
Genre	Opera
Label	Decca

Porgy and Bess (2006), first recording of the original 1935 production of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess. This studio recording is based on semi-staged performances which took place on February 24 and 25], 2006 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, with Alvy Powell as Porgy, Marquita Lister as Bess, Nicole Cabell as Clara and Robert Mack as Sportin' Life. The Nashville Symphony Orchestra was conducted by John Mauceri.

During preparations for the 1935 opening at Broadway's Alvin Theatre, Gershwin continued to revise his work. But the score had already been published, so a version incorporating his modifications was never made available. Subsequent productions did not include the changes that were Gershwin's final thoughts on the subject.

Musicologist Charles Hamm brought Gershwin's revisions to the music world's attention in 1987. Musical director and conductor, John Mauceri, researched and restored these changes using marked-up scores and handwritten notes from the première production.

Gershwin's additions to this version include a street festival scene in Act 1 which features an 11 piece on-stage band. For the Nashville production members of the Tennessee State University band joined the cast. An interesting addition was a 'Symphony of Sounds' replacing the opening of Act Three, Scene Three. In this 'occupational humoresque', the community awakens with rhythms of commonplace noises - snoring, sweeping, hammers pounding - that build into music.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Disc 1 1.2 Disc 2 2 Cast of the 2006 version

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Disc 1

1. "Introduction"
2. "Summertime"
3. "Seems Like Those Bones Don't Give Me Nothin' But Boxcars Tonight"
4. "Summertime"
5. "What, That Chile Ain't Asleep Yet?...A Woman Is A Sometime Thing (Lissen To Yo' Daddy Warn You)"
6. "Honey Man! Honey Man! Here Come De Honey Man"
7. "They Pass By Signin' (No, No, Brudder, Porgy Ain' Sof' On No Woman)"
8. "Here Comes Big Boy!"
9. "Crown Cock-Eyed Drunk...Oh, Little Stars"
10. "Oh, Stop Them! Don't Let Them Fight!"
11. "Wake Up An' Hit It Out. You Ain't Got No Time To Lose"
12. "Gone, Gone, Gone (Where Is Brudder Robbins?)...Overflow"
13. "Um! A Saucer-Buryin' Setup, I See"
14. "My Man's Gone Now"
15. "How De Saucer Stan' Now, My Sister?"
16. "Leavin' For The Promise' Lan' (Oh, The Train Is At The Station)"
17. "It Take A Long Pull To Get There (Oh, I'm A-goin' Out To The Blackfish Banks)"
18. "Oh, I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'"
19. "Mornin', Lawyer, Lookin' For Somebody?"
20. "Dey's A Buckra Comin'"
21. "'Lo, Bess, Goin' To De Picnic?"
22. "Bess, You Is My Woman Now"
23. "Oh, I Can't Sit Down"

[edit] Disc 2

1. "Allegretto Barbaro Ha Da Da, Ha Da Da"
2. "It Ain't Necessarily So"
3. "Crown! - You Know Very Well Dis Crown"
4. "Oh...What You Want Wid Bess?"
5. "Honey, Dat's All De Breakfast I Got Time For"
6. "Well, If It Ain' Ole Peter!"
7. "Oh, Doctor Jesus"
8. "Oh Dey's So Fresh An' Fine...I'm Talkin' About Devil Crabs"
9. "Porgy, Porgy, Dat You There Ain't It?"
10. "I Loves You, Porgy"
11. "Why You Been Out On That Wharf So Long, Clara?"
12. "Storm"
13. "Oh, De Lawd Shake De Heavens"
14. "One Of Dese Mornin's...Oh, Dere's Soebody Knockin' At De Do'"
15. "You Is A Nice Parcel Of Christmas"
16. "A Red-Headed Woman"
17. "Jake's Boat In De River, Upside Down!"
18. "Clara, Clara, Don't You Be Downhearted"
19. "Ha Ha Ha"
20. "Summertime"
21. "Introduction/Wait For Us At The Corner, Al"
22. "Listen: There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York"
23. "Occupational Humoresque/Good Mornin'"
24. "It's Porgy Comin' Home"
25. "Oh, Bess, Oh Where's My Bess"
26. "Where Bess Gone?...Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way"

[edit] Cast of the 2006 version

Porgy	bass-baritone	Alvy Powell
Bess	soprano	Marquita Lister
Clara	soprano	Nicole Cabell
Sportin' Life	tenor	Robert Mack
Crown	baritone	Lester Lynch

The World of Porgy and Bess

Book and play - Opera Creators: George Gershwin - Ira Gershwin - DuBose Heyward - Dorothy Heyward Media: Discography - Film adaptation Songs and adaptations: "Summertime" - "Catfish Row"