On October 8, more than 40 artists from the Cape Town Opera Chorus traveled thousands of miles from South Africa to Shanghai under the baton of Kazem · Abdullah to present a semi-stage version of the opera "Porgy and Beth" co-produced by the Beijing Music Festival, Cape Town Opera House and Dato' Wong Kee Tat Foundation, which is also the premiere of the new production in China.
Opera works have always been a dazzling pearl in the long history of classical music, but because of their comprehensiveness, many symphony orchestras except the opera house are discouraged, and they are a "difficult bone" in the eyes of orchestras. In recent years, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has been working hard in the field of opera, and has participated in the production and performance of numerous opera works. In 2021, Verdi's magnum opus La Traviata caused quite a stir, and other contemporary classics such as Ravel's "Time in Spain", Mozart's "Don Juan", Berlioz's "The Fall of Faust", and the sci-fi opera "Seven Days" are also not absent. Richard · Strauss's "Electra" made its debut in China at the Shanghai Symphony Stage, where another of his popular works, Salome, was staged. There are also Handel's opera "Se Meili" directed by contemporary artist Zhang Huan and the modern opera "Pain of the Skin", which are all witnesses of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra's step-by-step exploration and polishing.
If you want to talk about United States opera, "Porgy and Beth" has to be mentioned
"Porgy and Beth" is based on the United States popular novel "Porgy" in the first half of the 20th century, which was written by the author Hayward and his wife Dorothy, and the composer Gershwin was responsible for the music, and wrote it into an opera. The plot is set in the fictional black community "Catfish Street", focusing on the lives of low-class black people in the southern United States in the last century. Whether it is the disabled but kind and affectionate male protagonist Porgy, the uninhibited and love-yearning heroine Beth, or the rest of the vivid and three-dimensional characters on Catfish Street, the work portrays each character in a plump and delicate way.
"Porgy & Beth" is also a musical milestone. Composer Gershwin was extremely talented, and his most notable achievement was the successful integration of black musical elements such as jazz, blues, and spirituals into classical symphonies, creating an "American style" of serious music combined with popularity, and "Porgy and Beth" is one of the representatives, so it has also become the "pioneering work" of United States opera. Gershwin, who is white, came to the vicinity of the birthplace of the story's inspiration before creating the creation to experience black life and culture in depth. No ready-made folk song melodies are used in the whole play, and with the composer's love for black music and superb skill, the music is "original" with such a pure flavor. The singing segment "Summer Time", which appears many times, is beautiful and serene, which is a warm and bright color in the melancholy "blues" of the whole play, and it is also a soothing "lullaby", which has become a highly sung classic.
Just like the warmth brought by "Summer Time", the show has endured in the torrent of time, and even become more attractive because of the human brilliance it conveys. The characterization breaks the thin and one-sided image of black people in previous literary and artistic works, and each of the residents of these "Catfish Street" communities has their own full personality. When the opera came out, Gershwin refused to allow white people to have their faces blackened in the show, and instead allowed black actors to take the stage of mainstream opera and perform their own stories. In an era of apartheid, this was a feat – art knows no borders or colours, and everyone has the right to struggle in the face of suffering at any time.
From the modern perspective of international production, we can see the hope of human nature in the change of light and shadow
The abridged version of "Porgy & Beth" ran 124 consecutive performances on Broadway in the first round alone, and as an opera, it was as popular as many musicals. The semi-stage version used a full orchestra and an international creative team: directors from Europe, conductors from the United States, and co-production agencies from the United Kingdom. Singers from the Cape Town Opera House, winner of the 2013 International Opera Awards for Choir of the Year, were born in South Africa, known as the "Rainbow Nation", and in recent years they have rapidly emerged as one of the most attractive and diverse opera choirs in the world, bringing the rich and time-honored African culture to the world stage.
"This semi-stage version was actually a big challenge. Actors must be fully engaged in their own potential. Because you can't stop even when the spotlight isn't on you. And you'll have to find a better way to interpret this semi-staged version. Soprano Nolanla · Yande, who plays the lead actress, said after several days of rehearsals.
The new production, made at the Shanghai Concert Hall, does not rely on too many physical sets to depict Catfish Street in South Carolina, United States in the 1920s. "In addition to telling the audience who the main character is through the change of lighting, I also wanted to create a sense of atmosphere to help tell the story. The orchestra in the center of the stage also has a dramatic lighting design, because in this concert hall version, they are not simply accompaniments, but part of the performance, working together to complete the overall narrative. I'm sure the end result will be great! Two-time Tony Award-winning lighting designer Rick · Fisher shared.
As the conductor of the whole music· Abdullah also felt deeply about this, "I particularly like the production of the semi-stage, through the director's arrangement, the different voices in the orchestra interact with the plot and communicate with the actors. If they were in the orchestra pit, none of that would have been possible. It's a kind of 'art of wholeness' that Wagner executed."
The flow of light and shadow, the status of the orchestra that is different from the previous ones, and the "choreography that blends traditional and modern styles" all make the musicality and drama of the work more prominent, telling the common themes of the story that are not confined to the times. As director Noah · Namat wrote in his notes, "Our adaptation aims to provide a modern perspective while respecting the meaning." The desire to break stereotypes and celebrate the human spirit invites audiences to engage with the story in fresh, meaningful ways through engaging visuals and immersive emotional experiences. When talking about the creative concept, she also gave her own opinions, "From a personal point of view, I will also focus on the fate of each character in the play - as a person, in such an environment, how the plot will develop...... Of course, what I value most is the positive energy that has not been erased in the changes of time, just like the feeling that a lullaby like "Summer Time" brings to people. ”
In addition to its debut on the stage of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra on October 8, this edition of Porgy & Beth will also be held in Beijing on October 12 and 13 to close the 27th Beijing Music Festival. The 2024-25 concert season will also continue to present excellent opera works: in March next year, baritone singer Leo · Nuci, who has been praised as the "world's No. 1 Rigoletto", will come to Shanghai to perform Verdi's "Rigoletto" with Xiahou Jinxu, Yu Guanqun and other star casts.