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In George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, the main roles portray people on the fringes of society: the title character Porgy - poor, disabled, unhappily in love – succeeds in taking control of his life until his beloved Bess leaves him. It is about love, hate, deceit and betrayal, power relationships and addiction. The people are at odds with their fate and seek support in their belief in God - for some, their faith falters and they become murderers, either for morally despicable reasons or out of pure desperation.
In this project from the Berliner Philharmoniker's education programme, Martin Stegner and Rose Calheiros, together with students from Berlin schools, ask the question “opera and jazz - how does that work?” Parallel to a separate musical and compositional element of the project under the guidance of Martin Stegner, Rose Calheiros will prepare a dance piece with a second group. The dancers will explore some of the major themes of the opera, and the project will culminate in a dance and musical reinterpretation of the work, performed by the students and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
