I have heard differing versions of Treemonisha. I have a copy done in German that I got from a shortwave broadcast that someone in Sweden recorded. However, if you try to buy any version, you'll only be able to locate the Deutsche Grammophon version. Now maybe that's changed but I don't think so. The reason can be summed up by three words: Vera Brodsky Lawrence. In her attempt to bring Joplin's genius to the world, she screwed him over royally!

Her legal wrangling made it so that no other versions of Treemonisha may be released!!! Imagine only being allowed to hear one version of Mozart or Beethoven? Imagine only hearing one interpretation of Joplin's rags? Lawrence may not have meant to hurt Joplin but she did. I don't know Lawrence but I know people who know her and they are all rather miffed at what she did. She may have damaged Joplin and Treemonisha irreparably. She also destroyed a few friendships along the way.

While I enjoy Schuller's version, I would love to hear a black musicologist take Treemonisha on. That does not appear to be about to happen any time soon. Rarely a year goes by when some label or other goes to court to try and get the ban off Treemonisha but it never succeeds.

Still, it is more important to get the opera into the public mind than it is to boycott the CD set. So please purchase it even though your money doesn't really go to help Joplin in any meaningful way. At least you've heard the opera and it needs to be heard. It never needed to be mired in legal bs. I can only imagine Joplin's reaction if he knew what Lawrence had done to his masterpiece.