In the vein of Wagner’s Meistersinger and Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, the chorus in George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is a character in itself.
Vital to the plot, massive and onstage much of the time, the chorus also has complex musical challenges and needs to be African-American—all of which had to be addressed by Seattle Opera’s chorusmaster Beth Kirchhoff when casting for its production of Porgy and Bess opening July 30.
“This is a huge undertaking for an opera company: 44 chorus members, 60 to 65 players, and the orchestra has never played this opera before,” Kirchhoff said.
The music is all over the map: Porgy and Bess is a hybrid classical opera, incorporating a multitude of idioms such as blues, jazz and gospel. Plus 10 chorus members need the chops to play smaller-named characters with solo numbers and still others have to be able to dance.
To find sufficient African-Americans with the requisite skills, Kirchhoff had to advertise to sources such as musical theater actors and choral groups like Pat Wright’s Total Experience Gospel Choir. She also had to audition differently than usual.
“I had to put on a different set of ears,” Kirchhoff said. “Normally, I’m just listening for a nice big classical voice and the ability to put across a dramatic situation. Here, you might have a pretty voice that’s not as strong, but good dance ability--and you’d fit our needs.”
One advantage to going beyond strictly classical training is that some chorus members were already familiar with certain of the opera’s musical styles.
Bass-baritone Jimi Ray Malary, for example, has a diverse professional background ranging from musicals such as Showboat to jazz tunes by the likes of Duke Ellington. Yet the bass-baritone has a substantial classical history, including singing every male role in Porgy and Bess around the world, including Japan.
“I’ve sung Porgy about 30 times,” Malary said. “Jake I’ve done even more.”
After graduating from Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program, Malary’s first professional role was in Porgy and Bess at Civic Light Opera. He also worked with conductor John DeMain, who is conducting the current Seattle Opera production, on Gershwin’s opera at Houston Grand Opera in 1987. Malary was ready to retire from performing, having had “about enough of the life of a gypsy,” but chose to return just for this production.
“To go from Houston to here is a good bookend,” he said.
Not surprisingly, Malary is both singing the solo chorus role of Jim and covering Gordon Hawkins for the role of Porgy.
Another versatile chorus member, soprano Stephanie Johnson not only graduated from Pacific Lutheran University’s opera program, but she sang in the college’s Choir of the West. She also writes her own music—lately jazz and blues—and sings on cruises.
Johnson likens the Porgy and Bess chorus to a traditional Greek chorus.
“We react collectively onstage to what’s happening,” Johnson said. “Chris Alexander is good about creating a community with us, wanting us to share our emotions with each other as a community.”
But it’s the amazing choral music that seems to most awe Johnson.
“I get to stand in this cocoon of sound,” Johnson said.
If that cocoon is consistently anything like the burgeoning swirls and eddies of chaotic sound with which the chorus vocally created the sense of turbulent hurricane during a recent Seattle Opera rehearsal, this Porgy and Bess will blow you away.
Seattle Opera’s “Porgy and Bess” plays at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St., Saturday, July 30 through Saturday, Aug. 20. Prices $25-241. Tickets/information: 389-7676, www.seattleopera.org.
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