This 1951 recording of

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', it ...

'' was the first "complete" recording of the work from beginning to end, not a series of selections of popular songs from the work. (The recording did not include most of the music written by Gershwin which had been customarily cut from productions in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, however. As opposed to the complete three-hour opera, the album was two hours and nine minutes.) The recording came about as a result of

Lehman Engel A. Lehman Engel (born September 14, 1910, Jackson, Mississippi - died August 29, 1982, New York City) was an American composer and conductor of Broadway musicals, television and film. Work in theatre, television and films Engel worked in a variety ...

and

Goddard Lieberson Goddard Lieberson (April 5, 1911 – May 29, 1977) was the president of Columbia Records from 1956 to 1971, and again from 1973 to 1975. He became president of the Recording Industry Association of America in 1964. He was also a composer, and ...

's desire to record albums of Broadway shows whose scores had never been put on disc. Among the musicals the team had recorded (or would record) were '' Oh, Kay!'', ''

Babes in Arms ''Babes in Arms'' is a 1937 coming-of-age musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a group of small-town Long Island teenagers who put on a show to avoid being sent to a wor ...

'', ''

Girl Crazy ''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...

'', and '' Pal Joey''. Although there had been an album of ''Porgy and Bess'' since 1940, there had never been a 3-LP version. The 1951 album set contained more than two-thirds of the opera, for the first time ever in the history of recording. The album was recorded between April 5 and April 13, 1951. The album was originally released on 3 twelve-inch 33 rpm LPs. Columbia Masterworks assigned the album the catalog number OSL 162. The recording was later remastered by Naxos Records and re-released on CD. Several members of the original Broadway cast of ''Porgy and Bess'' appeared on the album.

Cast

Lawrence Winters Lawrence Winters ''(né'' Lawrence Lafayette Whisonant; 15 November 1915 King's Creek, South Carolina – 24 September 1965 Hamburg, Germany), bass-baritone, was an American opera singer who had an active international career from the mid-1940s ...

, baritone (Porgy) *

Camilla Williams Camilla Ella Williams (October 18, 1919 – January 29, 2012) was an American operatic soprano who performed nationally and internationally. After studying with renowned teachers in New York City, she was the first African American to receive ...

, soprano (Bess) * Warren Coleman, baritone (Crown) *

Avon Long Avon Long (June 18, 1910 – February 15, 1984) was an American Broadway actor and singer. Biography Long was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Frederick Douglass High School, where he was especially influenced by the Latin teacher and ...

, tenor (Sportin' Life) * Inez Matthews, soprano (Serena) *Harrison Cattenhead, tenor (Peter) *Hubert Dilworth, baritone (Undertaker) *Helen Dowdy, mezzo-soprano(Maria/Lily/Strawberry Woman) *George Fisher, baritone (Jim) *William A. Glover, tenor (Mingo) * Eddie Matthews, baritone (Jake) *Sadie McGill, mezzo-soprano (Annie) *June McMechen, soprano (Clara) *Irving Washington, tenor (Robbins) *Ray Yeats, tenor (Nelson/Crab Man) *

J. Rosamond Johnson John Rosamond Johnson (August 11, 1873 – November 11, 1954; usually referred to as J. Rosamond Johnson) was an American composer and singer during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, he had much of his career in New York C ...

(Frazier) *Robert Carroll (Mr. Archdale) *George Matthews (Detective) *Peter Van Zant (Police Officer/Coroner) *J. Rosamond Johnson Chorus * Pickup orchestra *

, conductor

References

External links

Track listing and synopsis
from Naxos' reissue

1950s classical albums Columbia Records albums Albums conducted by Lehman Engel 1951 album {{opera-stub