Porgy & it doesn’t get any better
Porgy (Morris Robinson) and Bess (Elizabeth Llewellyn) during the final applause in Kiel
Source: Bertold Fabricius/PRESSEBILD.DE
Spectacular conclusion to the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Kiel: the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra conducted by Alan Gilbert performs Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” in concert with stars from the Metropolitan Opera New York
ZAt the end of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Kiel’s Ostseehalle, which is currently called the Wunderino-Arena after an online casino, a spectacular, concert version of the opera “Porgy and Bess” by George Gershwin from 1935 was performed on Saturday evening. and here there is only an apparent contradiction to concert performance – the “American Folk Opera” (New York Times) was made by grandiose singers from the Metropolitan Opera New York. What the ensemble of eleven black actors in role-appropriate clothing and with minimal props (Porgy on a crutch) sang on the narrow strip of stage in front of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the direction of Alan Gilbert and played in excerpts worked better than many a complete production in an opera house.
Stunning Morris Robinson as Porgy
The largely unhappy love story between the beggar Porgy, here stunningly embodied by the voluminous bass Morris Robinson, and the prostitute Bess – brilliantly and with a lot of soul sung by soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn – led to a delightful three-hour opera evening, conducted by Alan Gilbert as soulfully as he was focused . In February of this year, Robinson had already taken over the speaking part at the Elbphilharmonie in the “Lincoln Portrait” concert (Copland) of the NDR Orchestra under Gilbert’s direction, where his powerful voice could only convey an idea of his singing abilities.
The stage of the Wunderino Arena
Source: 54°/Felix Koenig
Other glamorous performances include Golda Schultz as Clara, Latonia Moore as Serena and Chauncey Packer as Sportin Life. In addition to the soloists, the NDR vocal ensemble and guests sang the piece with its succession of parade numbers and hits – from “Summertime” to “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin” to “It Ain’t Necessarily So”. There was repeated applause during the concert, and at the end the audience thanked them with standing ovations.
Daniel Hope will become a portrait artist in 2023
However, the multifunctional hall in Kiel is neither a concert hall nor an opera house, the crowded orchestra and choir behind it have to be amplified by a system and the singers also have microphones. So the sound falls short of its potential. Images from the stage are also shown on two screens above the stage, as most of the audience is too far away to see the performers’ expressions.
Alan Gilbert treats himself to a Beugelbuddel refreshment after three hours of sweaty work
Source: Bertold Fabricius/PRESSEBILD.DE
The NDR gave the festival the final concert that had previously been performed at the Lucerne Festival, for which the Schleswig-Holstein Minister President Daniel Günther (CDU) thanked him in a short greeting before the concert began. Overall, according to Günther, the SHMF 2022 was “great”. Festival director Christian Kuhnt says his festival is an “incredible success”. The number of visitors was 165,000 in the first edition without any major restrictions due to the pandemic. The SHMF was therefore unable to build on the successes before the corona impairments. In 2019, the festival recorded 193,000 spectators.
Violinist Daniel Hope, who has been associated with the festival since 1986, will be the portrait artist of the SHMF 2023 from July 1st to August 27th. At that time, as a 13-year-old, he had one of his first appearances there.