Amistad

For a long time, American history books ignored a successful mutiny, but all of a sudden, the mutineers are conquering Hollywood and the world of opera. The talk is about West Africans who had been kidnapped in 1839, to be shipped to the United States. While on the ocean, they started a successful revolt, but they were trapped and ended up in an American court. The story took a happy end. Abolitionists supported the mutineers' case. They were eventually acquitted and brought back to their home land. Honoring the rebels, Hollywood is about to release a new movie by Stephen Spielberg. Its title is "Amistad," which was the name of the slave ship. However, the Lyric Opera was just a bit faster than the film industry. Last Saturday (November 29) it brought on the world premiere of an opera which also bears the title "Amistad." This event not only means a breakthrough for composer Anthony Davis, it also provides evidence of a breakdown of racial barriers in the music business. Georg Hirsch reports.

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