BSO and Morgan State will take you to the Promised Land

A commemorative stamp issued in 1973 celebrating the life and works of George Gershwin, including Porgy and Bess/U.S.Postal Service


Hurry to Baltimore tonight or tomorrow for a knockout performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Morgan State University Choir in concert with national opera stars who present George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.

You ain't heard nuthin' 'til you hear (and see) this.

Another commemorative stamp issued in 1973 celebrating George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess/U.S.Postal Service


It's performed with spine-tingling songs, duets and trios, ("Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin,'') by singers who act, move, and dance, far more than anticipated for a concert opera.

Who needs sets with glamour like this flowing across and above the stage? Which is where the Morgan State Choir stood in all-black ensembles, about 50 voices strong, under the direction of Eric Conway.  

The show's director, Hana S. Sharif, excels with her cast and crew, including effective, unnamed fight and sound managers.


The words to the music are screened above the performers, but the production stands on its own, and the words are unnecessary.

 

In 2015 the Morgan State University Choir sang at the White House for President and Mrs. Barack Obama in a televised live performance/Photo, Morgan State University Choir

Excellent, essential contributions by the BSO's xylophonist and pianist produce a hush in several places when they play solo, always under the capable direction of Conductor Marin Alsop.

While I waited in line to order my dinner at Strathmore before the Thursday evening performance, the couple behind me told me they had come just for the choir.

"Have you heard them?" they asked me.

No, I had come just for Porgy and Bess which I've heard and seen many times.

"Well, just you wait!" they exclaimed.  "They are outstanding!" And they were, combined with the soloists and orchestra. 

One of the soloists is the talented tenor, Larry Hylton,  another star graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, who played Sportin' News, and there he was, a'prancin' and dancin'  across the floor, back and forth, in yellow pants and a top hat made to stand out. 

The show is a fast-paced exhibition by George Gershwin (1898-1937) which takes place in Charleston, S.C. during the Great Depression, when a woman, Bess, becomes the property of one man, Crown, then another, Porgy, and finally, Sportin’ Life, who carries her away to New York.
 
No matter how many time you have seen this show, the exceptional tunes endure.

Bass-baritone Robert Cantrell is Porgy who carries the role fittingly, strong and rich, while he limps in  suspenders across the stage, aided by a crutch, but it's the powerful voice of baritone Lester Lynch as Crown who makes his presence keenly felt even before he enters the stage. He commands the crowd's attention and sets the pace for the action, whisking Bess away to his land of no forgiveness.

Soprano Laquita Mitchell is the beautiful Bess who dashes out in a bright red, sexy dress to catch the hand of the most available.
  
The first mid-act applause followed soprano Reyna Carguill's incredible solo as Serena, who delivers "My Man's Gone Now," after Crown's murder of her husband, Robbins (Joshua Jones). 

Another show-stopper is soprano Jasmine Habersham
who plays Clara and begins the show serenading "Summertime" to her baby until her husband, Jake (Cameron Potts) comes on stage to cradle their child and croon "A Woman is a Sometime Thing." 

Alexandra Crichlow Bradshaw is the distinguished Maria who joins Ms. Carguill and Mr. Cantrell in the closing of "Bess, Oh Where's My Bess?"

Porgy takes leave of the stage singing "Oh, Lawd, I'm On My Way" to follow Sportin' Life and his Bess to New York.

Not to miss!

What:  Porgy and Bess by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra  and the Morgan State University Choir and more

When:  Tonight at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. 

Where:  Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St.
Baltimore 21201

How much:  Tickets information is at the link.  For special "Young and Free" discounts at the Sunday performance, click here. 

For more information: Call 410-783-8000.

I'm on my way....
to Baltimore
I'm on my way
to a heav'nly land
for in that town
I'll hear the grand
music o'er the land

Oh Lawd, I'm on my way
I'm on my way to a heav'nly land
I'll ride that long, long road
If You are there to guide my hand

Oh Lawd, I'm on my way
I'm on my way to a heav'nly land
Oh Lawd, it's a long, long way
But You'll be there to take my hand 





Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
An' nuttin's plenty fo' me
I got no car, got no mule, I got no misery
De folks wid plenty o' plenty
Got a lock an dey door
'Fraid somebody's a-goin' to rob 'em
While dey's out a-makin' more
What for?
I got no lock an de door
(Dat's no way to be)
Dey kin steal de rug from de floor
Dat's okeh wid me
'Cause de things dat I prize
Like de stars in de skies
All are free
Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
An' nuttin's plenty fo' me
I got my gal, got my song
Got Hebben de whole day long!

patricialesli@gmail.com 

Free 'Porgy and Bess' concert Wednesday at St. John's, Lafayette Square

Alvy Powell, bass-baritone

Alvy Powell, the bass-baritone who has sung the role of "Porgy" more than 2500 times across the globe from San Francisco to La Scala to Carnegie Hall to Australia, will sing selections from George Gershwin's opera, Porgy and Bess, in a free noontime concert May 1 at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square.

Accompanying Powell will be Michael Lodico, St. John's associate organist.

In 2007 Powell debuted with the Choral Arts Society of Washington singing "Porgy" which he has also performed with the Virginia Opera and with the Nashville Symphony which features him in its recording of Porgy and Bess.

Click here to see and hear Powell sing the duet, Bess, You Is My Woman Now with Charlae Olaker.

Other Powell achievements include Bartolo from Le Nozze di Figaro with The Virginia Opera, Sharpless from Madame Butterfly with the Connecticut Opera, Coline in La Boheme with the Tulsa Opera, and Opera Pacific, and as Timur in Turandot with Opera Carolina, Opera Grand Rapids, and the Cleveland Opera.

For the Vatican production commemorating the centennial of the death of Giuseppe Verdi, Powell was soloist in the Verdi Requiem with the Rome Opera. He is a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army and sings solo with its chorus.  Last week they performed at the dedication of the George Bush library in Texas.

His performance at St. John's is part of the church's First Wednesday Concert Series which begin at 12:10 p.m. and end at 12:45 p.m.  This year's series ends June 5 when Jeremy Filsell, artist-in-residence at the Washington National Cathedral, plays organ works by Bach, Dupre, and Rachmaninov.

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square/Patricia Leslie
 

St. John's, known to many Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square, is often called the “Church of the Presidents.” Beginning with President James Madison, who served from 1809 to 1817, every president has either been a member of, or has attended services at St. John's. A plaque at the rear of the church designates the Lincoln pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by St. John's during the Civil War. 

The concerts are excellent respites from Washington's usual weekday harried cycle.  Food trucks are located at nearby Farragut Square so listeners may "eat and run" back to the office.

Who:  Alvy Powell, bass-baritone, and Michael Lodico, organist

When: 12:10 p.m., May 1, 2013

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16^th, Washington, D.C. 20005

How much:  No charge

Duration: About 35 minutes

Wheelchair accessible

Metro stations: McPherson Square or Farragut North or Farragut West

Food trucks:  Located two blocks away at Farragut Square

For more information: 202-270-6265

patricialesli@gmail.com