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Mon, 25 Oct 1999 12:44:47 -0500 |
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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
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