The Great Gatsby (opera)
The Great Gatsby is an opera in two acts written by American composer John Harbison. The libretto, also by Harbison, was adapted from the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Additional popular song lyrics were by Murray Horwitz. The opera was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in honor of music director James Levine's 25th anniversary with the company.
Performance history
The Great Gatsby had its premiere performance on December 20, 1999. Conducted by Levine, the cast included Jerry Hadley, Dawn Upshaw and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. The stage production was by Mark Lamos. The opera has been performed at the Met twelve times in two seasons. In 2000 it was produced at Lyric Opera of Chicago. The opera has received mixed reviews, some describing it as "undramatic and dull."[1] It was also performed in the summer of 2012 at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
The first European Premiere performance was in December 6, 2015 in the Semperoper in Dresden.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, December 20, 1999 (Conductor: James Levine) |
European First Performance, December 06, 2015 (Conductor: Wayne Marshall) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Gatsby, a wealthy but mysterious young man | tenor | Jerry Hadley | Peter Lodahl |
| Daisy Buchanan, a young socialite | soprano | Dawn Upshaw | Maria Bengtsson |
| Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, formerly an athlete | tenor | Mark W. Baker | Raymond Very |
| Nick Carraway, Daisy's cousin, a stockbroker | baritone | Dwayne Croft | John Chest |
| Jordan Baker, Daisy's friend, a golfer | mezzo-soprano | Susan Graham | Christina Bock |
| George Wilson, garage mechanic | bass | Richard Paul Fink | Lester Lynch |
| Myrtle Wilson, George's wife | mezzo-soprano | Lorraine Hunt Lieberson | Angel Blue |
| Radio/Band Singer | tenor | Matthew Polenzani | Aaron Pegram |
| Tango Singer | mezzo-soprano | Jennifer Dudley | Jelena Kordić |
| Meyer Wolfshiem, a businessman | bass-baritone | William Powers | Matthias Henneberg |
| Henry Gatz, Jay's father | baritone | Frederick Burchinal | Tilmann Rönnebeck |
| Minister | bass | LeRoy Lehr | |
References
- ↑ Croan, Robert. "Harbison's Great Gatsby Fails to Engage; Tristan soars". Retrieved 4 July 2012.
External links
- An interview with John Harbison
- David Stevens, "Harbison Mixes Up A Great 'Gatsby'" (Review of the premiere), International Herald Tribune, December 29, 1999
- Metropolitan Opera, Synopsis: The Great Gatsby
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