This is an fantastic performance of George Gershwin‘s ‘Summertime’, written for the 1935 opera ‘Porgy and Bess’. With lyrics by DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, alongside George’s brother, Ira Gershwin.

The song, which was originally a synthesis of European orchestral techniques and American Jazz, quickly became the subject of ‘pure’ Jazz interpretations, to the point that it quickly became a Jazz standard. With the notable exception of the Ella Fitzgerald / Louis Armstrong version, very few recordings pay homage to the orchestral side of the song’s ‘roots’, making it easy to forget that it was originally intended to be an operatic performance, similar to the video below.

The video features critically acclaimed Soprano Harolyn Blackwell (pictured) on vocals, backed up by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Conducted by Simon Rattle).

Enjoy!