GERSHWIN: Porgy and Bess.(Review)

GERSHWIN: Porgy and Bess [] Haymon, Clarey, Simpson; White, Baker, Evans; London Philharmonic, Rattle. 1992. EMI Classics DVD 7243 4 92497 9 0

EMI Classics has released two new DVDs aimed at opera fans. Don't look for extras on these discs -- what you see is basically what you get, with no special features. Nonetheless, this is good material decently presented.

"Classics on a Summer's Evening: A Gala Concert from Dresden" was taped on July 11, 1999, on the square in front of the Semper Oper. Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu were the vocal stars, with the late Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting the Staatskapelle and the Oper's chorus. Sinopoli fans will be grateful for the lengthy orchestral interludes he allotted himself; most opera-lovers will probably wish there were a bit more of the Alagna-Gheorghius. Their work is, by and large, wonderful. Alagna, in particular, no longer seems bent on forcing and over-inflating his tone; he trusts it to carry itself, and that offers him more opportunities for coloring and interpretation. He even concludes "E lucevan le stelle" with a graceful diminuendo, rather than the standard-issue tenorial sob. Gheorghiu remains the most satisfying and intelligent of contemporary lyric sopranos; her direct, exposed timbre and intense delivery hark back to such mid-century verismo specialists as Virginia Zeani and Magda Olivero. She joins Alagna for the Otello and Madama Butterfly love duets, and the result of their blending is luminous. She also shines in "Un bel di," proving what a magnificent Cio-Cio-San she might be one fine day if her voice can survive the rigors of the orchestration. Gheorghiu may not have the sound we traditionally associate with a Verdi spinto, but her "Pace, pace" is grand and fiery enough to make one long to hear her in the complete role of Leonora.

Alagna's solos include that heartfelt "E lucevan le stelle" and a romantic flower song from Carmen, which he does nicely enough until, like most tenors, he ignores Bizet's ...