24 Feb 2020

THE GERSHWINS: Porgy and Bess

From Opera on Sunday
Eric Owens as Porgy and Angel Blue as Bess

Eric Owens as Porgy and Angel Blue as Bess Photo: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera

Sunday 1 March 2020 at 6pm on RNZ Concert

Metropolitan Opera Season 

THE GERSHWINS: Porgy and Bess

Cast:

Angel Blue (Bess), Golda Schultz (Clara), Latonia Moore (Serena), Denyce Graves (Maria), Frederick Ballentine (Sportin' Life), Eric Owens (Porgy), Alfred Walker (Crown), Donovan Singletary (Jake), Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra conducted by David Robertson 

Recorded in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York (Met Opera)

One of America’s favourite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Janai Brugger, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Donovan Singletary.

Synopsis of Porgy and Bess

(from left) Ryan Speedo Green (with cap) as Jake, Alfred Walker as Crown, Eric Owens as Porgy, Errin Duane Brooks as Mingo, Angel Blue as Bess, Reginald Smith, Jr. (seated) as Jim, and Chauncey Packer as Robbins

(from left) Ryan Speedo Green (with cap) as Jake, Alfred Walker as Crown, Eric Owens as Porgy, Errin Duane Brooks as Mingo, Angel Blue as Bess, Reginald Smith, Jr. (seated) as Jim, and Chauncey Packer as Robbins Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera

The world premiere of 'Porgy and Bess' was in Alvin Theatre, New York, in 1935. A supremely American operatic masterpiece and the most ambitious work by one of the nation’s greatest musical talents, 'Porgy and Bess' focuses on the joys and struggles of a black neighbourhood in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 20th century. The overall combination of music, word, and idea among a complex blend of Americana make this a unique and impressive work both within and beyond the operatic repertory.

Eric Owens as Porgy and Angel Blue as Bess

Eric Owens as Porgy and Angel Blue as Bess Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera

George Gershwin (1898–1937) was one of America’s greatest composers—creating a diverse collection of works spanning the classical, jazz, and theatrical worlds—while his brother, Ira Gershwin (1896–1983), was one of the most prominent lyricists of American song. Novelist and poet DuBose Heyward (1885–1940) collaborated with his wife, Dorothy (1890–1961), to adapt his novel Porgy into a successful Broadway play, which later inspired the Gershwins’ opera.

A scene from Porgy and Bess at The Met

A scene from Porgy and Bess at The Met Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera

The opera is set in slightly fictionalised versions of real places in and around Charleston, South Carolina. Catfish Row is a sea-side version of the actual Cabbage Row, a group of old mansions historically inhabited by the descendants of freed slaves.

A scene from Porgy and Bess at The Met

A scene from Porgy and Bess at The Met Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera

Far beyond being a compendium of classic songs, the score of 'Porgy and Bess' maintains a level of musical unity and a rich, descriptive language that compares with the greatest operatic achievements. Much of the work’s dynamism comes from Gershwin’s explorations of the Gullah music of Tidewater Carolina, melded with his mastery of jazz and Eastern European Jewish roots to create a personal, idiomatic, brilliant, and thoroughly convincing musical canvas.

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