Leontyne Price "What You Want wid Bess?" Berlin 9/21/1952

Very first recording Leontyne Price's voice September 21,
1952 Berlin, Titania Palast
Gershwin' Porgy and Bess
European Tour Everymen Opera Company

Robert Breen Production

Porgy - William Warfield, Bassbariton
Bess - Leontyne Price, Sopran
Sporting Life - Cab Calloway, Tenor
Crown - John McCurry, Bariton
Jake - Joseph James, Bariton
Clara - Helen Colbert, Sopran
Robbins - Howard Roberts, Tenor
Serena - Helen Thigpen, Sopran
Lily/Strawberry woman - Helen Dowdy
Crab man - Ray Yeates

The Eva Jessye Chorus
RIAS-Unterhaltungsorchester
Alexander Smallens, conductor

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Opera
• Gershwin
• Porgy
• and
• Bess
• Leontyne
• Price
• Crown
• John
• McCurry

[royalbattle]

This is truly amazing. I believe Onegin65, you have some connections with the music gods LOL. Thanks.

[jeffchester]

Thank very much Onegin65 for this. Just a tresaure! Brava Leontyne!!!!

[SAI03]

LMAO @ 2:05 , she was so young! as always I LOVE IT!!! :o)

[kenhig]

Most of you must know that this entire live performance is now available on a Guild CD set, and that the fabulous new Met opening performance of Antony and Cleopatra can be found on eBay for about 30 bucks.

[Chasson0318]

Wow, this is something else...is the baritone McHenry Boatright?

[Magniloquent1]

It's not writtin in Gullah (gullah is derogatory term used to described speech of a group of people from South Carolina years ago)...this is written in negro dialect, and excepted standard form of english used by poets such as Paul Lawrence Dunbar and others.

[mjmacmtenor]

I love the way Leontyne sings English. Her "pop" singing (check out the CD "Right As the Rain") has such clear "natural" sounding langugage. Her recordings of P&B show such a great use of the dialect. She makes the "Gullah" speech sound so authentic and beautiful - not a "put-down" of uneducated people, but a beautiful dialect (like a true Scotsman or Irishman speaking). That's why I love her recording of Barber's Knoxville. Her "Southern speech" adds just the right touch of nostalgia.

[pellmeli]

She was one of the greats-so committed. She had it all.

Thank you Onegin65 for all the great videos you have given us.

[Kendrick2021]

Oh My!!!!!! I love it!!!

[Pawobrat]

My God! I never thought that this could exist. Miss Price so young and already sings so well. There is complete recording of this? Thank you very much, this is a terrific treasure!!!