Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
Encyclopedia
Arranged by Gershwin's good friend and sometimes assistant Robert Russell Bennett
in 1942, Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture includes most of the best-known songs from the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess
, although not exactly in the order of their appearance. Though the Symphonic Picture is sometimes dismissed as a sequence of the opera's "greatest hits," the first well-known melody, "Summertime," is not heard until nearly seven minutes into the work. While some of the more esoteric parts of the opera are absent, much of the catchier tunes can be heard only in this suite and not in others, as Gershwin neglected to include them in his Catfish Row
Suite, which tended to highlight the more cerebral elements of the work.
The medley was prepared at the behest of Fritz Reiner
, then conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
, who led the premiere. Bennett credits Reiner with having chosen the excerpts, and their sequence. Reiner aimed for a precisely-24-minute length; it was designed to fit three 78-rpm records (4 minutes per side). Besides Reiner's request that the piano (which Gershwin used for texture, not for soloing) be eliminated, the actual orchestration in most passages is very closely based on Gershwin's original scoring.
Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers. In 1957 and 2008, Bennett received Tony Awards...
in 1942, Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture includes most of the best-known songs from the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
, although not exactly in the order of their appearance. Though the Symphonic Picture is sometimes dismissed as a sequence of the opera's "greatest hits," the first well-known melody, "Summertime," is not heard until nearly seven minutes into the work. While some of the more esoteric parts of the opera are absent, much of the catchier tunes can be heard only in this suite and not in others, as Gershwin neglected to include them in his Catfish Row
Catfish Row
"Catfish Row", originally titled "Suite from Porgy and Bess", is an orchestral work by George Gershwin based upon music from his famous opera. Gershwin completed the work in 1936 and it premiered at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on January 21 of that year, with Alexander Smallens conducting...
Suite, which tended to highlight the more cerebral elements of the work.
The medley was prepared at the behest of Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
, then conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
, who led the premiere. Bennett credits Reiner with having chosen the excerpts, and their sequence. Reiner aimed for a precisely-24-minute length; it was designed to fit three 78-rpm records (4 minutes per side). Besides Reiner's request that the piano (which Gershwin used for texture, not for soloing) be eliminated, the actual orchestration in most passages is very closely based on Gershwin's original scoring.