Pre-Owned Scott Joplin: Treemonisha (CD 0093228072027) by Anita Johnson (vocals), Annmarie Sandy (vocals), Chauncey Packer (vocals), Darren Stokes (vocals), Edward Pleasant (vocals);...

0093228072027. Pre-owned: Good condition. CD. When Scott Joplin's 1911 opera Treemonisha was rediscovered in the 1970s, only a vocal score had survived, and various composers, including William Bolcom and Gunther Schuller, created orchestrations for full modern orchestra. Schuller's version was produced by the Houston Grand Opera and recorded by Deutsche Grammophon in 1976. Conductor Rick Benjamin, in the fascinating and exceptionally thorough program notes to this 2011 New World Records version of the opera, makes a virtually irrefutable case for Joplin's intention that a 12-member pit orchestra, a standard theater ensemble of the era, should accompany Treemonisha. Benjamin's version is considerably less grand than that of the Houston recording, and it is certainly closer to what the composer intended. The textures are varied but transparent, and the voices are always easy to hear and understand. It emphasizes the intimacy of the piece, which was always intended for small venues and makes clear its provenance as a distinctively American work...