Ricky Ian Gordon’s treatment of John Steinbeck’s heartbreaking 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath” is this week’s Sunday Opera (4/22 3:00 p.m.). This world premier recording features Brian Leerhuber as the desperate Tom Joad leading his extended family away from the horrors of the dustbowl only to find that California holds no promise for them at the end of their journey. The cast also includes Roger Honeywell as Jim Casey, Kella Kaduce as Rosasharn, Andrew Wilkowske as Tom’s hapless brother Noah, Robert Orth as Uncle John, and Deanne Meek and Peter Halverson as Ma and Pa Joad. and they’re joined by the Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra with Grant Gershon conducting. We’ll stay with the American theme after the opera when host Michael Kownacky will present Eleanor Steber’s moving rendition of Knoxville Summer of 1914 by Samuel Barber to text of James Agee and Aaron Copland’s Short Symphony No. 2.
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The Sunday Opera: "The Grapes of Wrath" by Ricky Ian Gordon
