This will be a unique opportunity for the Latvian audience to see the work of contemporary music theater, which is considered revolutionary. The opera tells the story of Malcolm X (1925-1965), a human rights activist and one of the US Muslim leaders, who is played by baritone Will Liverman in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production.
The premiere of the opera took place in 1986 at the New York City Opera. X. The Life of Malcolm X is the first American opera to directly address a current political theme and personality. Its author, Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Davis, is also known as a jazz pianist, improviser and educator. He has created the opera together with his brother Christopher Davies (author of the story) and his cousin Thulani Davies, who is the author of the libretto. The opera consists of twelve episodes from the life of Malcolm X – from his youth to his murder.
The opera was composed by a dark-skinned composer, and the creative team and stage of the show include dark-skinned artists. The score is influenced by Igor Stravinsky and Paul Hidemit, African, dance and jazz music. The sound of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is complemented by a jazz ensemble led by the composer himself Episteme.
The title role in the opera X. The Life of Malcolm X played by baritone Will Liverman. Photo by Zenith Richards
The performance has been prepared by conductor Kazem Abdulla and director Robert O’Hara. The production is not a documentary about Malcolm X, but an abstract interpretation of the controversial leader’s life and legacy, the director explains. The opera makes you think about how the human rights ideas defended by the activist resonate in time and space, about the importance of racial justice and the fight against racism today. Malcolm X is portrayed in the show as any of us. “Almost every city has a Malcolm X Boulevard,” says Robert O’Hara. “People look at the sign as they cross the street and think about how that name got there and how they fit into that person’s story.”
A view from the opera house X. The Life of Malcolm X of the new production in New York. Photo – Marty Sol
The production is permeated by the philosophy and aesthetics of Afrofuturism, a form of expression that envisions an alternative, liberated future for people of African descent, often using ideas associated with science fiction and technology. One of the elements of the show’s scenography is a huge spaceship rising above the stage, an image that has precedents in Afrofuturist art and thought.
Information: metopera.org, forumcinemas.lv
2023-11-15 22:30:43
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