Seattle Opera's Porgy and Bess is a vocal and dramatic stunner

By Jason Victor Serinus, 12 August 2018

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Alfred Walker... a most sympathetic Porgy whose beauty of voice and purity of spirit were inspiring”

Reviewed at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle on 11 August 2018

Gershwin, Porgy and Bess

Seattle Opera

John DeMain, Conductor

Francesca Zambello, Director

Peter J. Davison, Set Designer

Paul Tazewell, Costume Designer

Alfred Walker, Porgy

Angel Blue, Bess

Lester Lynch, Crown

Mary Elizabeth Williams, Serena

Jermaine Smith, Sportin’ Life

Brandie Sutton, Clara

Derrick Parker, Jake

Judith Skinner, Maria

Bernard Holcomb, Mingo

Edward Graves, Robbins

Martin Bakari, Peter

Damien Geter, Jim

Cheryse McLeod Lewis, Annie

Ernest Jackson, Nelson

Ashley Faatoalia, Crab man

Ibidunni Ojikutu, Strawberry woman

Marlette Buchanan, Lily

Brian Simmons, Detective

Michael Patten, Coroner

Garnett Bruce, Revival Director

A rite of spring turned inward: Strauss’ Daphne at Seattle Opera

Thomas May, 16th January

Presented without staging, Seattle Opera’s concert Daphne places Strauss’ extreme vocal demands and saturated orchestral writing in sharp relief, offering a high-risk encounter with a rarely heard late opera.

****1

Mozart meets Vaudeville in Seattle's silent movie Magic Flute

Erica Miner, 22nd February

Eye-popping, hand-drawn animation melds with Mozart's fantastical world and the silent film era to create a colorful and energetic new-to-Seattle production.

***11

African American spirituals ring out in world premiere of Jubilee

Erica Miner, 12th October

A world premiere opera about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the intrepid troupe of African American singers who changed music history.

*****

Alcina in Seattle: captivating, flirtatious, sometimes weird

Rosie Rogers, 25th October

Thoughtful cuts, an extremely skillful orchestra and active, inventive staging made this sexy dark comedy engrossing and highly watchable.

*****

Frederick Ballentine’s Loge shines in Das Rheingold

Rosie Rogers, 12th August

Despite some confused visual elements, an excellent musical performance makes Seattle Opera's production well worth watching.

****1

Huang Ruo’s riveting Bound makes Seattle Opera debut

Erica Miner, 10th June

Bound tells of a second generation of Asian immigrants, born and raised in the US, their problematic association with their cultural heritage, and the difficulties and challenges they face, bound to their culture but trying to be wholly accepted as American.

*****

More reviews...

Jason Victor Serinus

Jason Victor Serinus is a US-based music and audio critic who has contributed to Stereophile, Seattle Times, Opera Now, Opera News, Classical Voice North America, San Francisco Classical Voice, American Record Guide, Carnegie Hall Playbill, Stanford Live!, San Francisco Examiner, and so much more. He was also “The Voice of Woodstock” whistling Puccini in an Emmy-nominated Peanuts cartoon. He lives in Port Townsend, WA with his husband and three canine terrorers. http://www.jasonserinus.com.