Long Beach Opera Mounts a New Production of Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley's The Central Park Five

Jun. 24, 2022

On June 18-19, Long Beach Opera presented Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley's Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, The Central Park Five in a new production directed by J.Ed Araiza and conducted by Anthony Parnthera at Jordan Auditorium in Long Beach. In this presentation, the orchestra appeared onstage with the singers. Following the performances, the cast and musicians moved into the studio to create the first professional recording of the opera, which will be released in the Fall of 2022.

About their new production the company notes:

"The Central Park Five is the true story of five teenagers wrongly accused of a crime, then sentenced to years in maximum security prisons. After the incredible success of the world premiere production produced by LBO in 2019, the company will bring the opera again to audiences in a new production which will focus on the internal dramatic arc of the characters and the astonishing, award-winning score. The harrowing account of five teenagers wrongfully convicted, incarcerated, and eventually exonerated remains a devastatingly relevant indictment on racial injustices in America. LBO’s 2019 world premiere of the opera brought composer and “national treasure” (Opera News), Anthony Davis, additional recognition when the score was selected for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music. The LA Times noted, “Davis’ supercharged score grippingly conveys the claustrophobia of a racist legal system and society from which there was, for these five innocent boys and their families, no exit.”

(Trailer from Long Beach Opera's 2019 Production of The Central Park Five)

To learn more about Anthony Davis, visit: schott-music.com.

Anthony Davis
The Central Park Five (2019)
opera in three acts
Libretto (Eng) by Richard Wesley
1.1(bsax).1.1-1.1.10-2perc(I: vib, mar, timp; II: drum set, mar)-pno.kurzweil-str(min 1.1.1.1.1)
120'