Review on Gershwin Porgy Bess Concert Suites by Will Ridpath

This CD has received critical acclaim. let me share my thoughts Firstly, large selection of music. Lytton was faced with the daunting task of creating a suite that could be played by real orchestras in the real world, but wouldn't cost a fortune. He reduced the performing staff to 4 soloists and a chorus to stage it roughly on the scale of Verdi's Requiem. Most of the best songs are included, as well as some interesting orchestral numbers. I sincerely hope that this suite will resound in the concert halls of America - this is sublime music written by one of our greatest musical minds. The entry itself is a somewhat mixed bag. "Summertime" can and will work well as a beautiful operatic aria. But it must be done in the manner of Susanna's music in The Marriage of Figaro - a gentle lullaby sung by a tender soul. This recording makes it "heavy" with all the operatic clichés, swoops and vibrato. There is a big difference between the Gershwin and Verdi "slides". The choir sounds good, but it sounds too much like a symphony choir. And sometimes they come across as more "Lutheran” than "awakening.” Some of the pacing (like in The Hurricane) feels a bit off, but mostly it reflects the pacing of the show's recent productions like Rattle. I think they reflect Lytton's longstanding familiarity with opera in general and can be modified somewhat due to slightly different concert suite requirements. Overall a good (if unexciting in my opinion) production. Great music, great suite and good performance.