Those who missed Simon Estes' final performance in 'Porgy & Bess' can hear it this weekend
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Central Iowa fans of the opera might consider it a tragedy of operatic proportions to have missed the final performance of Iowa's world-renowned bass-baritone Simon Estes in "Porgy & Bess" this past summer.
The Centerville-born singer has a career spanning nearly 60 years in which he performed in front of the pope, Nelson Mandela and the United Nations, just to name a few. This past summer, Estes appeared in his final fully staged, operatic show in the Des Moines Metro Opera's production of "Porgy & Bess." It also marked his first performance with the Des Moines Metro Opera.
Once Estes announced his retirement from the stage, show tickets sold quickly. Thankfully, those who missed the sold-out performance over the summer will have a chance to not only hear the voice of Estes and the cast of "Porgy & Bess," but also three other shows from this past opera season.
On Friday, the opera announced that IPR Classic Radio will air the audio recorded from this past season's performances.
More: 'A Thousand Acres' takes an acclaimed novel set in Iowa from an Iowa author to create a new opera
How do I tune in?
'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
Broadcast on Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. Tune in to a local IPR Classical radio station or stream it on IowaPublicRadio.org.
This adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play features John Holiday, a finalist on NBC's "The Voice," as King Oberon.
'American Apollo'
More: Opinion: Nearly 60 Black opera singers performed in 'Porgy & Bess' in Iowa. It was amazing.
Despite being a work that was staged in partnership with Pyramid Theatre Co., this show featured only a few scenes from the final production, which is scheduled to run in the opera's 2024 season.
Composed by Damien Geter, "American Apollo" is about Thomas Eugene McKeller, a Black man who modeled for many paintings by John Singer Sargent, a prominent portrait painter in the late 1800s.
“'American Apollo' is a piece that delves into issues related to race, class and sexuality, which were glossed over during McKeller’s lifetime,” composer Damien Geter said in a 2021 news release. “Given the climate and conversations happening today, it is our hope that we might give the characters in this opera the opportunity to reckon with these issues, even if only in spirit."
Broadcast on Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Tune in to your local IPR Classical radio station or stream it on IowaPublicRadio.org.
'A Thousand Acres'
Broadcast on IPR Classic in November, but has yet to have a broadcast date announced.
The show is an original opera commissioned by the Des Moines Metro Opera and made its world premiere on the Indianola stage this past summer. The work is an adaption of Jane Smiley's 1991 novel, which presents a female-focused retelling of Shakespeare's "King Lear." Both novel and opera tell the story of the Cook family, whose patriarch, Larry, decides to hand over his farm to his three daughters: Ginny, Rose and Caroline.
“We knew that we wanted to write a new piece for the 50th anniversary," Michael Egel, the general and artistic director at the opera, told the Register in July. “We wanted to pick a story that would be our story to tell, but would also have some recognizability to it."
“I think it checks one of the most important criteria of American opera," the show's director Kristine McIntyre told the Register in July regarding the show's setting and subject matter. "It shows the struggles of everyday people… and it’s set on a farm. There’s nothing more American I could do unless I had a cowboy on stage.”
More information on these upcoming broadcasts can be found through desmoinesmetroopera.org.
What new shows are coming to the Des Moines Metro Opera in 2023?
Though this past season has wrapped the Des Moines Metro Opera has more in store over the coming months, in particular from June 30 to July 23.
'Carmen'
Georges Bizet's "Carmen,"according to Egel, is perhaps the most famous opera in the world.
"Certainly as a measure for measure (piece with) familiar tunes that you've heard throughout your life," Egel said of the opera during a Des Moines chapter guild event on Sept. 15.
The opera is the place where popular pieces such as "Habanera" and "Toreador Song" have their origin in this story of the 19th-century soldier Don José, who leaves behind the life he knows for love of the titular Carmen.
The first performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on June 30, six performances will follow that, the final of which is scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 23. All performances will be held in Pote Theatre at the Blank Performing Arts Center, 513 North D St., in Indianola.
'Bluebeard's Castle'
Hungarian composer Béla Bartók's "Bluebeard's Castle" is one of the darker stories drawn from the same cannon of fairy tales that also includes "Cinderella" and "Rapunzel."
"There are two characters in it and it's a short length opera, not a three-hour opera like others, that relies on an enormous orchestra... and incredible visual demands," said Egel, adding that local-based artist Oyoram will be working on the visual components.
The first performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on July 1 with three more performances through 7:30 p.m. on July 22. All performances will be held in Pote Theatre at the Blank Performing Arts Center, 513 North D St., in Indianola.
'The Love for Three Oranges'
In the same vein of the opera inspired by fairytales is the satirical opera by Sergei Prokofiev, "The Love for Three Oranges."
"I'd tell you what the story is about but I'm still trying to figure that out," joked Egel about this 20th-century absurdist comedy. "It's not meant to make a lot of sense, but it's very funny."
The story is framed around a prince who falls under a curse and must go on a journey to find three oranges, each of which contains a woman within.
The first performance is slated for 7:30 p.m. on July 8; three performances will follow including a concluding performance at 7:30 p.m. on July 21. All performances will be held in Pote Theatre at the Blank Performing Arts Center, 513 North D St., in Indianola.
'DWB (Driving While Black)'
"Driving While Black" is a modern English-language opera that premiered in 2018, and only runs about 45 minutes long. The work includes music from Susan Kander and a libretto from Roberta Gumbel.
The work is meant to depict the prayed-for daily victory Black mothers can feel just having their children come home safely after being out and about. The brisk runtime covers 16 years in the life of a Black mother as her son reaches the age where he can get a driver's license.
The work will have three performances with the first scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 8 and the final scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 21. The show is set to be performed at a yet-to-be-announced stage in Des Moines.
'The Falling and the Rising'
The last of the listed operas to hit the stage next summer is "The Falling and the Rising." Like the aforementioned "DWB," this is an English-language production that first premiered in 2018.
This particular opera, with music from Zach Redler and a libretto by Jerre Dye, runs about 80 minutes, telling the story of a U.S. soldier placed a medically induced coma and his young daughter who tries to know him better.
This show will only have two performances. The first of these is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on July 20 and the second is two days later at 2 p.m., July 22. These performances are scheduled to take place at Camp Dodge's Freedom Center, 7105 NW 70th Ave., in Johnston.
More information about these operas and other pieces of programming from the Des Moines Metro Opera can be found at desmoinesmetroopera.org.
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Metro Opera performs 'Carmen,' 'Bluebird's Castle' in 2023
