The Washington National Opera presents Blue, a contemporary opera on racial injustice in the US today. With a libretto by Tazewell Thompson set to music by Jeanine Tesori. This is a double album from Pentatone.

Blue tells the tragic story of an African-American police officer whose son is killed by a fellow officer during a protest. Strongly resonating with the Black Lives Matter movement, the piece is equally groundbreaking thanks to its intimate and layered portrayal of African-American family life on the operatic stage. Historically and musically, Blue compassionately tells a story that is at once painful and identifiable to so many of us.

The album is a production by Washington National Opera in association with San Francisco Classical Recording Company. It was recorded at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera House, Washington D.C., USA on June 21-29, 2021 by the team at Soundmirror Inc. with Producer Blanton Alspaugh, Recording Engineer Brandon Johnson and Mastering Engineer Mark Donahue.

NativeDSD exclusively presents Blue in its recorded Stereo and 5 Channel DXD format as well as exclusively in Stereo and 5 Channel DSD 256 and DSD 128 plus Stereo DSD 512. It is also available in Stereo and 5 Channel DSD 64.

The Music Critics Association of America named Blue the “Best New Opera” of 2020, while the Financial Times praised it as “an exceptionally strong new opera about race in America”, and hailed Tesori’s music as “eclectic, but assuredly so, full of beauty and eloquence.” The piece is sung by an excellent cast of vocalists, including Kenneth Kellogg as The Father, Briana Hunter as The Mother, and Aaron Crouch as The Son, while The Washington National Opera Orchestra is led by rising star conductor Roderick Cox.

Jeanine Tesori is one of the most important American composers of today, with a diverse catalog for musical theatre, opera, film, and television. Tazewell Thompson is an internationally acclaimed director, playwright, teacher, and actor. Washington National Opera is among the leading US opera houses, and has the mission to present stories that reflect the America of today.

Kenneth Kellogg – The Father, Bass
Briana Hunter – The Mother, Mezzo-Soprano
Aaron Crouch – The Son, Tenor
Gordon Hawkins – The Reverend, Baritone
Ariana Wehr – Girlfriend 1 / Congregant 1 / Nurse, Soprano
Katerina Burton – Girlfriend 2 / Congregant 2, Soprano
Rehanna Thelwell – Girlfriend 3 / Congregant 3, Mezzo-Soprano
Joshua Blue – Policeman 1 / Male Congregant 1, Tenor
Martin Luther Clark – Policeman 2 / Male Congregant 2, Tenor
Christian Simmons – Policeman 3 / Male Congregant 3, Bass-Baritone
The Washington National Opera Orchestra
Roderick Cox, Conductor

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