Yes, you heard me right. Baseball Opera.
Yesterday the WSJ carried an article (sorry, login required) about Daniel Sonenberg’s opera The Summer King based on the life of long-forgotten baseball great Josh Gibson.
What is exciting about this production is that it is truly modern, and very American. One of the largest barriers that opera faces in these modern iPod-times is interest from young listeners. Viewed as stuffy, elitist, foreign, and downright boring, opera is in desperate need of some updating. The themes, music, and settings are extremely familiar to the average American.
This depiction of life in the not-so-distant past will ring authentic and delight audiences of all ages. Think I’m crazy? They are doing these productions on the street, with no more stage than concrete stoops in Brooklyn and a keyboard for music. That is what I call Urban Opera.
In case the iPhone-enabled generation can’t make it outside, a portion is on YouTube. Check it out.
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