RARE HMV FELP 148 PORGY & BESS LORENZO FULLER

$

1,000

For sale: Porgy & Bess recorded in Haarlem, The Netherlands 1956 and conducted by LORENZO FULLER

Label: His Master's Voice FELP 148

This is something you will never see again in your life. This is such an extremely rare item, that I still find it unbelievable that I got it! It is the recording of Porgy & Bess from 1956 in Haarlem, Holland on very heavy HMV vinyl (200grs.?)! And, much more interestingly, this performance was conducted at that time by LORENZO FULLER!

There's a remarkable story to tell here regarding this performance and the figure of Lorenzo Fuller. Lorenzo Fuller is from Stockton, Kansas (and actually this year at 24 July a tribute in his honour had been planned in Stockton!) and has made quit a career in the Big Apple, singing, composing and playing on Broadway, radio and television. In probably 1956 and 1957 Lorenzo Fuller joined George Gershwin on a world tour of Porgy & Bess to play the role of Sportin' Life and to serve as an assistant musical director. The international troupe of Porgy & Bess made history at this occassion by being American's first cultural ambassadors, being the first American production at La Scala and being the first American troupe to perform in Russia during the Cold War. In Russia, Lorenzo Fuller spoke to the opening night audience in their language and received a standing ovation.

On that tour, Lorenzo Fuller played for the troupe as they performed in the embassies for the many diplomatic events they attended and it was at this tour, that the troupe also visited The Netherlands and performed at Haarlem, a Dutch city near Amsterdam, with the symphony orchestra and choir of Haarlem's Concert Hall. At this occasion Lorenzo Fuller conducted the performance and sang the songs 'It ain't necessarily' (with Joe Attles) and 'There's a boat, that's leavin' soon for New York'. Other performers were: Martha Flowers, Irving Barnes, Leesa Forster, and Joe Attles.

The record that I sell here now is the original recording of that truly historical event and this is your chance to get back in time and listen again to this rare historical performance of Porgy & Bess. I have placed no reserve on this item, but the ask price is reflecting it's historical value. Please bid with confidence, since there's a full money back guarentee on this item.

Condition of vinyl: EX (little bit of dust noise)

Condition of record sleeve: VG

Condition of labels: NM

Happy bidding!

Buyer pays for shipping ($15), packaging and PayPal (+5%).

On Jun-20-04 at 04:13:48 PDT, seller added the following information:

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On Jun-27-04 at 04:33:05 PDT, seller added the following information:

Erratum (thanks to another eBay member): it was not George Gershwin himself, who went on the after war world tour, since he died already in 1937. It was however part of the original cast of the first ever performance of Porgy and Bess, that took place on 30 September 1935 in Boston, that went on this world tour after the Second World War. The big succes of Porgy and Bess worldwide started with this famous world tour. Famous artists like William Warfield, Leontyn Price (then still unknown) and Cab Calloway were part of this troupe. They performed in Berlin, Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Italy, Russia and London, where the Stoll Theater was sold out night after night for four months. Only then, and after the big stars had already left for the States again, the troupe went to The Netherlands, to perform there for many weeks. Here also all the perfomances were sold out night after night.

Information found in: Leo Riemens, Elseviers Groot Operaboek [Elseviers Grand Operabook] (Amsterdam, 1960), Prof. Dr. Kurt Pahlen, De wereld van de opera [The world of the Opera] (Haarlem, 1969) and Dieter Zöchling, Die Oper [The Opera] (Harenberg, 1981).

If eBay members have more information available on this truly historical recording, please send me an email and I will add it to this description.

On Jun-27-04 at 04:36:53 PDT, seller added the following information:

This recording in Haarlem, The Netherlands is from 1 June 1956, which means that most of the world tour must have been before this date. I suppose then that the world tour must have taken place from 1955-1956.