Semperoper Reprises John Harbison's 'The Great Gatsby'
26th May 2017
© Semperoper Dresden
Der Tagesspiegel
In 2015, Semperoper Dresden staged the European Premiere The Great Gatsby by John Harbison. This new production by stage director Keith Warner, conductor Wayne Marshall, and set designer Johan Engels returns to Dresden May 29 - June 1, 2017. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and conducted by James Levine in 1999, The Great Gatsby has received numerous new productions since its premiere. Come see Semperoper's dazzling new production and bring it to your theater!
Critical Praise for the European Premiere
"A formidably crafted score…" — Concerti, December 6 2015
"An experience…that deeply impressed." — Musik in Dresden, December 11 2015
"The duets are bewitching…" — Opernnetz, December 2015
"Harbison’s dazzling score…a feast for the ears." — Capriccio Forum, December 10 2015
"…masterfully crafted, showing the many sides of today’s music — not so much that of Schoenberg and his successors, but rather encompassing the entire palette of modern tone colors from jazz, blues, tango, and Charleston, to symphonic constructions in the spirit of Puccini and Richard Strauss' Rosenkavalier." — Musik in Dresden, December 11 2015
"This Great Gatsby is a captivating, moving work, which the Semperoper lovingly stages between rose-colored longing for love and the rusty industrial charm of the 1920s." — Elbmargarita, December 7 2015
"Harbison skillfully wove jazzy dance music in the style of the 1920s through his accessibly modern musical language… The mixture of opera and jazz functions especially well… Two spheres, two moods, musically superimposed." — Der Tagesspiegel, December 14 2015
"Harbison’s music is based on the European musical tradition. Next to shades of the golden 1920s and musically illustrative imitations of industrial sounds, one can hear the history of opera into the twentieth century… Often, the music suggests a deeper meaning of the scenery." — Sächsisches Zeitung, December 8 2015
Creating the Production
watch the 6-part video
'The Great Gatsby' at Semperoper
watch the trailer
Performance History
Dresden, Semperoper | 2017
Dresden, Semperoper | 2015
Boston & Tanglewood, Emmanuel Music | 2013 concert performances
Aspen Music Festival | 2012
San Francisco, Opera Parallèle | 2012 premiere of the reduced orchestration
New York, Metropolitan Opera | 2002
Chicago, Lyric Opera | 2000
New York, Metropolitan Opera | 1999-2000 premiere
For more information about The Great Gatsby, please contact Peggy Monastra.
