Porgy and Bess

L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O

From the General Director

Any great American opera company should have as part of its artistic mission the presentation of American works. At Lyric Opera of Chicago we have presented memorable productions of operas by important American composers, but only one of those can be cited arguably as the great American opera of the 20th century – Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess . After its triumph here during the 2008-09 season, this opera is returning to Lyric by popular demand. Once again we will demonstrate that Porgy and Bess , no matter what incarnations it has had in other venues, is unquestionably at its most persuasive when performed in an opera house with all the vocal, orchestral, and visual resources that a major opera company can provide. My own first experience with Porgy and Bess in a theater was at Glyndebourne, and it made a visceral impact on me – I was overwhelmed by it both musically and dramatically. That initial contact with the work confirmed for me that it is, in fact, timeless,

communicating to audience as vividly today as it did when it premiered eight decades ago. It presents characters whose humanity is palpable in every line they sing, and their emotions speak to our hearts from first note to last. Lyric’s production of Porgy and Bess makes abundantly clear that this opera portrays a community. It does so in great depth, with a believability and a power that can be legitimately compared with any other opera in which the idea of community is central (Britten’s Peter Grimes , for example).Gershwin and his co-creators understood this profoundly, the result being that the choral passages and the episodes for supporting characters are presented with a vividness to match any of the scenes for the central couple. Any production of Porgy and Bess should confirm music as the theatrical engine of the piece. Much of the score entered this country’s cultural fabric long ago – from “Summertime” and “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” to “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “I Loves You, Porgy.” Hearing the piece in the theater for the first time, I was struck not only by the wonderful solo episodes but by the cumulative power of the ensembles. To my ear, the entire score boasts both the emotional immediacy and the melodic inventiveness that I associate with the operas of Puccini. Francesca Zambello’s captivating production, already acclaimed in the Lyric premiere of this opera, is returning with an almost totally new cast. I’m delighted to welcome back to our stage as Porgy – one of his signature roles – Eric Owens, previously unforgettable in Doctor Atomic , Hercules , and most recently Rusalka (Eric has also been announced to sing his first Wotan in our upcoming Ring cycle). Opposite him in her Lyric debut is Adina Aaron, the superbly gifted American soprano whose impressive successes in both Europe and America precede her. On the podium is Ward Stare, now established as one of the most important American conductors of his generation.

STEVE LEONARD

Those of you who have enjoyed Porgy and Bess before will, I’m sure, be thrilled to revisit both the music and the drama that make it such a satisfying experience in the opera house. To our audience members who are new to this opera, I can say that there are few thrills to be compared to discovering a masterpiece for the first time – and Porgy and Bess is truly a masterpiece.

Anthony Freud

6 | N O V E M B E R 1 7 - D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 4

Made with