Opera Preview: Porgy & Bess

1/31/2020    
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Blue Hill Public Library
5 Parker Point Rd, Blue Hill, ME, 04614

Bagaduce Music and Friends of the Blue Hill Public Library will present a preview of George & Ira Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess, at the Blue Hill Public Library on Friday January 31st at 1:00 PM. A live performance of the opera will be simulcast at The Grand in Ellsworth the following day, Saturday, February 1st, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The libretto was written by DuBose Heywood and Ira Gershwin. The opera was adapted from the play, Porgy, by Dorothy and DuBose Heywood.

According to the Met’s website, “One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. ‘If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,’ raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.”

Local opera enthusiast David Porter will summarize the plot, introduce the music and offer some ideas of special ways to enjoy the Saturday simulcast. All are welcome, no previous opera knowledge is needed, and admission is free.

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