The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

"Vurdering: Recording of the month" - "Then there is Eric Owens as Porgy. Good? Excellent is the word for the acting and singing of the rest of the cast, whilst Owens is quite outstanding in every aspect of his portrayal ... The many small roles are sung and acted without weakness and the well-known arias and chorus highlights are played with affection under John DeMain's idiomatic and vibrant baton ... As to presentation, the sound and picture quality is excellent".

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"Times are tough for seasoned admirers of Porgy and Bess ... Nothing goes wrong with this production ... yet nothing is all that right in Catfish Row ... Much of the cast sing as loud as possible ... Characters don't live their roles; they sell them ... Here's the really bad news: this is the best Porgy and Bess video out there".

"The singing is vigorous ... The orchestra crackles form the very first note. Eric Owens's Porgy, too, immediately weighs in as a powerful presence".

Vurdering (performance): 4/5.

Vurdering (picture & sound): 3/5.

"Vurdering: IRR outstanding" - "[Owens] is a truly exceptional Porgy ... capturing all the emotional range of the character ... [Mitchell] is exceptionally involving from start to finish ... DeMain is a superlative exponent of Porgy and Bess ... His sense of dramatic timing is unerring ... This intensely dramatic, superbly conducted San Francisco Porgy is one the best - perhaps the best - available in any video or audio format".