3/31/2021 0 Comments Sand Of The Coliseum Row
Since its premiere in 1935, Porgy and Bess has became one of the most celebrated American works of the 20th century, while simultaneously igniting controversy every time it was performed due to its themes, characterizations, and appropriative nature an opera about black Americans created by three white men George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward.In addition to the Heywards, Georges brother and main collaborator, Ira, also made contributions to the lyrics.Authorship of the work is credited to both the Gershwins and the Heywards.
The music also shows him at the height of his compositional abilities, having spent three years in intensive study with composer and teacher Joseph Schillinger. As Gershwins voice was silenced by his untimely death in 1937 at the age of 38, Porgy and Bess represents his most advanced and ambitious compositional achievement. The presence of distinct songs in the work led early critics to debate whether Porgy and Bess was really an opera or a musical. ![]() The story itself has been a source of controversy concerning the depiction of southern black life by white authors. The fact that the composer claimed folk authenticity in his original music remains problematic. Even before the opening night, questions were being asked as to whether a white American of Russian Jewish descent was the right person to speak for African-Americans. Since its premiere, Porgy and Bess has come under fire for its treatment of black themes and black music, with some critics seeing it as a caricature of black artistry: What we are to consideris not a Black opera by Gershwin, but Gershwins idea of what a Black opera should be. The operas characters themselves have drawn criticism, as they engage in racial stereotypes that echo blackface minstrelsy. Catfish Row, the fictional setting inspired by a deprived quarter in Charleston, South Carolina, is depicted as a skeletal community of houses, not specifically of any here or now. The Gershwin family maintained a contractual requirement that in staged productions, all black characters in the cast and chorus must be performed by black singers; in non-staged performances, the chorus need not adhere to this restriction. This has made Porgy and Bess an important vehicle for celebrating black operatic talent. The English National Opera has brought together a chorus of 40 singers from diverse countries and this ad hoc group is the glory of the show. Choruses, spirituals, ensembles, all were heart-warmingly uplifting. Theres plenty of wonderful musical material to fill its three hours (the original version was four hours long), but there isnt enough plot (again, just like Wagner): basically, its While Crown is on the run for murder, his woman Bess takes up with the cripple Porgy; when Crown returns to claim Bess, Porgy murders him; while Porgy is in jail, Bess leaves. There is a bit more detail and a few interesting subplots, but too much of the opera is spent adding local colour and not enough driving the action forward. However, the musical richness is so great that it carries you through.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |