Premieres Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / PBS app
An international cast joins the New York Philharmonic for the American premiere of "Émigré," a semi-staged oratorio that tells an unusual story of Jewish refugees during World War II. Following the Kristallnacht pogrom of 1938, to escape the looming Nazi threat, two brothers are sent halfway around the world to Shanghai. Otto cherishes his heritage, while Josef seeks a new path, and falls in love with Lina, a Chinese woman recovering from the loss of her mother in the Nanjing Massacre.
A sweeping tale of love and loss, "Émigré" is set to music by film and concert composer Aaron Zigman with lyrics by Grammy-winning librettist Mark Campbell and additional lyrics by Brock Walsh. Long Yu conducts this New York Philharmonic co-commission with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
Talent:
- Aaron Zigman – Composer
- Mark Campbell – Lyrics
- Brock Walsh – Additional lyrics
- Mary Birnbaum – Stage director
- Michael Beyer – Director for television
- Long Yu – Conductor
- Matthew White – Otto Bader
- Arnold Livingston Geis – Josef Bader
- Huiling Zhu – Li Song
- Meigui Zhang – Lina Song
- Shenyang – Wei Song
- Diana Newman – Tovah Odesska
- Andrew Dwan – Yaakov Odesska
- New York Philharmonic Chorus – Jewish refugees, Shanghai citizens, and more
- Kristen Robinson – Scenic designer
- Oana Botez - Costume designer
- Yuki Nakase Link – Lighting designer
- Joshua Higgason – Projection designer
- Krystal Balleza, Will Vicari – Hair and Makeup designers
Noteworthy Facts:
- Composer Aaron Zigman is a classically trained American composer, producer, arranger, songwriter, and musician who has scored music for films including “The Notebook,” “The Company Men,” “Bridge to Terabithia,” “John Q.,” “The Proposal,” “For Colored Girls,” “Sex and the City” and many more.
- Conductor Long Yu is the Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director & Chief Conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
- The work is a co-commission with Maestro Long Yu, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.
Watch On Your Schedule: GREAT PERFORMANCES is available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
Credits: A production of Deutsche Grammophon and Bernhard Fleischer Moving Images in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic, Directed for television by Michael Beyer; Bernhard Fleischer and Julie Kim are Executive Producers. For GREAT PERFORMANCES, Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer. The series is produced by The WNET Group.
