The Great Gatsby

The Metropolitan Opera in New York will conclude the millennium with a new work. John Harbison's opera is entitled "The Great Gatsby" and is based on the famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In his novel, Fitzgerald described the luxurious, decadent life of newly-rich New Yorkers during the 1920s. The main character, Jay Gatsby, has accumulated a fortune in obscure ways, and with his wealth, he tries to impress a former girlfriend whom he lost to another man. However, Daisy Buchanan decides to stay with her husband Tom, who is also rich, and who is having an affair as well. "The Great Gatsby" contains roaring parties, infidelity, a murder, and many references to jazz, which was America's most popular music during the 1920s. All this seems to make for a perfect opera, and James Levine conducted the world premiere of "The Great Gatsby" last night. Georg Hirsch reports.

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