David Orea C.:

>This Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Price-winning play had been already used by
>King Vidor (1931) to make a movie.
>
>In 1947 Kurt Weill combined his music with Rice's book and Langston
Hughes
>Lyrics creating an excellent 20th Century American Opera: "Street Scene".

>I would like reading some comments about this Kurt Weill' Opera.

One of Weill's best American works.  He was trying for a Broadway opera.
 Remember the sensation made by Oklahoma.  Weill was slightly jealous of
Rodgers's  success.  He became more ambitious with Firebrand of Florence
(in my opinion, a failure) and Street Scene, a work which is real opera and
real Broadway, with a sure sense of dramatic movement.  For this reason
alone, you need a complete recording to get a due appreciation of the work.
 Yet as good as it is, I believe he beat it with his last complete stage
work, Lost in  the Stars.

Best recording I've heard is on London, now apparently out of print.  Jay
Recordings  has a CD, advertised as "complete," with a London cast.  I've
found most of their output variable, however.  Avoid the original cast
(with Anne Jeffreys) - cut up, abridged, terrible sound.

Steve Schwartz