‘Porgy and Bess’ premiere at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

Claudio Vellutini

viernes, 26 de diciembre de 2008

‘Porgy and Bess’ premiere at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

Chicago, lunes, 15 de diciembre de 2008.

The Civic Opera House. George and Ira Gershwin, Porgy and Bess. Francesca Zambello, stage director. Perter J. Davison, set designer. Paul Tazewell, costume designer. Mark McCullogh, lighting designer. Denni Sayers, choreographer and assistant stage director. Laquita Mitchell (Clara), Larry Hylton (Mingo), Jermaine Smith (Sporting Life), Eric Greene (Jake), Jonita Lattimore (Serena), Barron Coleman (Robbins), Justin Lee Miller (Jim), Michael Bragg (Peter), Veronica Chapman-Smith (Lily), Marietta Simpson (Maria), Gordon Hawkins (Porgy), Lester Lynch (Crown), Morenike Fadayomi (Bess), Danny Goldring (Detective), Darren K. Stokes (Lawyer Franzier), Jeannette Blankeney (Annie), Earl Hazell (Nelson), Cheryl Warfield (Strawberry Woman), Kenneth Alston (Crab Man), David Darlow (Coroner), Chuck Coyl (Policeman). Orchestra and Chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Donald Nally, chorus master. John DeMain, conductor

Opera is not at all dead or inaccessible. It still speaks to the many, and conveys messages that are as valid today as they ever were. Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is a telling exemple. It brings to the theater a different audience from the one made-up of traditional opera-goers: because of its racial themes, it fills the seats with African American spectators (traditionally, not the most represented ethnicity among the regulars of American opera houses); because of its musical style, it arouses the interest of those who normally prefer to spend an evening in a jazz club rather than in the more formal context of opera theaters; because of the language, and of the popularity of many of its tunes, it attracts many of those Americans who, normally, find opera an unapproachable form of art. Interestingly, the opera had never been performed at…

Contenido exclusivo para suscriptores

Inicia sesión o crea tu cuenta gratuita para desbloquear hasta 10 lecturas mensuales de contenido reservado.

Iniciar sesión Crear cuenta