When George Gershwin sat down to compose “Porgy and Bess” based on DuBose Heyward’s book about a segment of the population that polite society ignored, did he sense that it was destined to achieve international success and popularity?
Washington National Opera presents Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” March 20 to April 3
Where: Kennedy Center Opera House
When: Opens Saturday, runs through April 3; check Web site for times.
Info: $25 to $300; 202-295-2400; dc-opera.org
The soaring score and heart-wrenching story captivated both classical and popular audiences from the outset, but four decades passed before the Houston Grand Opera Production of 1976 decisively established it as a legitimate opera.
During the 75 years since its debut, “Porgy and Bess” has become the most significant and beloved of all American operas. Now Washington National Opera celebrates the anniversary with Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed 2005 production, a distinguished creative team and a remarkable double cast featuring Eric Owens and Lester Lynch as Porgy and Morenike Fadayomi and Indira Mahajan as Bess.
After 20 years of conducting worldwide, John Mauceri returns to WNO where he served as music director of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra from 1979-91. His expertise encompasses researching, restoring and recording the score. The music is enhanced by Peter Davison’s set design projecting a sense of paradise in prison, the inhabitants packed like fish and aware of everything happening within their community.
To bring the plot closer to our day and understanding, Zambello has updated the setting from the 1920s to the 1950s when racial tensions were high. The winner of multiple awards from Great Britain, France, Japan, Russia and Germany, including three Olivier Awards, two French Grand Prix de Critiques and the Palme d’Or, she spreads her expertise and creativity to projects vast and personal, returning only last week from a volunteer journey to Cambodia to lead workshops on putting a show together and bringing back the nation’s arts.
Like Gershwin, Zambello has made trims and cuts in the original “Porgy and Bess” score. His goal was to pare it down to befit a Broadway musical; hers was to streamline the production and bring it under three hours. Since the day when Placido Domingo satisfied her dream and agreed to let her stage the 2005 production, she has revisited it often and never tires of incorporating new insights in each performance.
“I wanted to show the people trapped in the prison of Catfish Row as a microcosm of a tight-knit, closed society in its own private world,” she said. “Most of them are moral, upstanding and religious living in a ghetto surrounded by incredible love, yet filled with drugs, violence and death.
“The audience is always surprised by the unexpected turns of events, the murders and especially the departure of Bess. Even though she loves Porgy, she is seduced by drugs to go to New York. He breaks free of his environment and leaves to find her. I think that Gershwin would see that I’ve been very true in creating his characters by going back to the novel to give a realistic depiction of Catfish Row and the deepening of relationships. I want the audience to understand the deep humanity of the characters and the journey they’ve gone on.”
