New 'Porgy and Bess' closes Beijing Music Festival

Naamat's semi-staged version of Porgy and Bess, in which actors dressed in modern clothing, gives Gershwin's almost century-old work a contemporary and fresh look.

However, the new production's use of a bare, stripped-down space poses a more significant challenge for the performers.

"We have done this production many times, but in this semi-staged version, it's even much tougher for us because it forces you as an artist to become the set and the prop. There is never a moment when you can switch off and let the set take center stage. You must constantly think on your feet and make sure that you get into the character (because that's) all that you've got," said soprano Nonhlanhla Yende, who plays the heroine Bess.

The director also placed the orchestra in the middle of the stage, highlighting music as the driving force of the opera because the characters, in her eyes, hold onto music through the ups and downs in their lives.