Margaret Garner, which has a libretto by novelist Toni Morrison, is based on the true story of an escaped slave who killed her child rather than see her returned to slavery. The opera premiered at Michigan Opera Theatre in May and was seen at Cincinnati Opera in July. It will move to the Opera Company of Philadelphia in February.
The PSO recording would feature the cast that appeared in Detroit and Cincinnati and which will be seen in Philadelphia, the Tribute-Review says. Singers include mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves as Margaret Gardner, baritone Gregg Baker as her husband Robert, soprano Angela Brown as Robert's monther, Cilla, and baritone Rod Gilfrey as her owner, Edward Gaines. Stefan Lano would conduct.
According to the paper, the PSO has not recorded for a major label since it made Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony for EMI in 2001. The ensemble recorded a series of CDs for Sony Classical in the 1990s.