What:
Opera Sequestro de Serrallo (Die Entführung dem Serail) by Mozart organized by the ABAO.
Of: The Basque Symphony Orchestra and the Coros of the Bilbao Opera.
Where: Basque Palace of Bilbao.
When: 20 January.

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Austrian Emperor José II insisted on a cultural project called Nationalsingspiel, and created a company to perform works in German, since at that time Italian opera prevailed.

The project did not have a very long trajectory, but it created masterpieces like the one we were able to see and hear in the Basque Country by the hand of the ABAO.

Serrallo's kidnapping is Mozart's first Singspiel. This gender consisted of alternating chanted fragments and oral fragments. In current representations, many oral texts are sometimes erased. However, in the ABAO proposal we were able to enjoy all the work.

It is an agile and often comical work, which does not have a deep exploration of the character or dark feelings found in subsequent Mozart operations. Like other contemporary works, this opera enjoys the exoticism of the Ottoman Empire, which ceased to be a military threat to the Austro-Hungarian empire.

From a purely musical point of view, it is a work full of enthusiasts and showy arias.

Upon analyzing what we saw and heard in the Basque Country, the representation did not meet the expectations. It was not a round function for several reasons. Scenography was a bit scarce. It was probably a good idea to recreate a naïve environment. However, the simplicity and, perhaps, the ineffectiveness of the stage direction meant that shows in general are not convinced.

As for the voices, it was a great pity that the tenor Moises Marin had a serious throat problem. I'm sure I didn't have to participate in the premiere, because I struggled with a difficult role. This singer was replaced by another tenor in subsequent performances.

Everyone was eagerly awaiting Jessica Pratt, who has always had memorable performances in Bilbao. Constanz's interpretation was strong and light, and he performed colorations and speed effectively. But he missed magic and brilliance other times. Soprano Leonor Bonilla, in the role of Blond, and Mikeldi Atxalandabaso, in the role of Pedrillo, demonstrated great professionalism, good voices for their roles.