The Great Gatsby (opera)
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{{short description|1999 opera by John Harbison}}
The Great Gatsby is a 1999 opera in two acts written by American composer John Harbison. The libretto, also by Harbison, was adapted from the 1925 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."{{cite web|last=Croan|first=Robert|title=Harbison's Great Gatsby Fails to Engage; Tristan soars|url=http://old.post-gazette.com/magazine/19991222gatsby4.asp|accessdate=4 July 2012}} It was also performed in the summer of 2012 at the Aspen Music Festival and School. It was performed at Seagle Festival in Schroon Lake, NY in the summer of 2018.
The first European performance was on 6 December 2015 at the Semperoper in Dresden conducted by Wayne Marshall.
Roles
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!Role !Voice type !Premiere Cast, December 20, 1999 !European Premiere, December 6, 2015 |
| Jay Gatsby, a wealthy but mysterious young man |
| Daisy Buchanan, a young socialite |
| Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, formerly an athlete
|tenor |Mark W. Baker | Raymond Very |
| Nick Carraway, Daisy's cousin, a stockbroker |
| Jordan Baker, Daisy's friend, a golfer
| Christina Bock |
| George Wilson, garage mechanic
|bass |
| Myrtle Wilson, George's wife
|mezzo-soprano |
| Radio/Band Singer
|tenor | Aaron Pegram |
| Tango Singer
|mezzo-soprano |Jennifer Dudley | Jelena Kordić |
| Meyer Wolfshiem, a businessman
|William Powers | Matthias Henneberg |
| Henry Gatz, Jay's father
|baritone | Tilmann Rönnebeck |
| Minister
|bass |LeRoy Lehr | |
References
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- [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm The Metropolitan Opera Database.]
- [http://www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2420&State_2874=2&WorkId_2874=24195 Opera publisher G. Schirmer, Inc.]
External links
- [http://www.usoperaweb.com/2002/april/harbison.htm An interview with John Harbison]
- David Stevens, [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/29/style/29iht-gatsby.t.html "Harbison Mixes Up A Great 'Gatsby'"] (Review of the premiere), International Herald Tribune, December 29, 1999
- Metropolitan Opera, [http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=47 Synopsis: The Great Gatsby]
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Category:Operas by John Harbison
Category:Operas set in the United States
Category:English-language operas
Category:Opera world premieres at the Metropolitan Opera