Gray tones
The history of the opera Madama Butterfly based on a work by the writer Pierre Loti, madly in love with Euskal Herria is not well known. This is Madame Chrysanthème. It has a similar argument, although Loti's original has a happy ending and in the case of Puccini the story takes a tragic turn.
Nor is it known that, despite being one of the favorite works of the public, its premiere was not very fortunate. The staging of February 17, 1904, at the Teatro alla Scala, was a failure. This forced Puccini to withdraw the work and undergo several revisions. The premiere in Paris on 28 December 1906 can be considered final.
On the other hand, the execution of this work had a sad path. Changes occurred during the three years that the composition of Madama Butterfly lasted. If the 25th of February 1903 were not by car accident with one of the first Italian cars owned by the master, it would have taken less time. The problems with his wife, Elvira, and the discrepancies with the libretists Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica and the editor Giulio Ricordi did not collaborate. However, this work is a landmark in the twentieth century operatic repertoire.
The version offered by the ABAO in the Euskalduna Palace was simple, in the best sense of the word, without staging complications. And most importantly, the voice, we could say that the work was solved correctly, but there was no brightness.
The tenor Sergio Escobar surely did not have his best day, or perhaps the role of Pinkerton is not the one that best suits his instrument. But the truth is, he didn't convince the public. It is also possible that the excess volume of the orchestra forces the singer to force his voice, which causes a more severe emission of the tenor than normal. As for the Italian soprano María Agresta, he had the opportunity to show his strong and voluminous voice, with moments of great beauty such as Un bel di vedremo, aria of the second edition. However, the lack of fineness of the orchestral batuta or the more or less gray tone of the representation could influence and Agresta did not achieve the expected brightness.
Opera groups Don Pasquale de
Donizetti: OSE and Bilbao Opera Choir.
Soloists: S. Orfila M.J. Moreno, F. Demuro, D. Del Castillo, P.M. Sánchez.
Stage Director: Emiliano Suárez.
Scenography Alfons Flores.
Place: Euskalduna Palace
Date: 19 October.
... [+]
In Durango's Hitz bookstore, it occurred to me that the Saturraran opera deserved criticism. On the one hand, the response of Jose Julián Bakedano, the illusion of the words of Gaizka Olabarri from the bookstore, the illusion of Nekane Bereziartua, who for so many years has been... [+]
Chamber opera based on the work of Orgia
Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Music: Hector Parra.
Libretto: Calixto Bieito. Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Director: Pierre Bleuse. Scenography: Calixto Bieito. Soloists: Ausrine Stundyte (soprano), Leigh Melrose (baritone), Jone Martínez... [+]
Opera Anna Bolena de Donizetti organized by ABAO. Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa. Directed by Jordi Bernacer. Bilbao Opera Choir. Directed by Boris Dujin. Soloists: Joyce El-Khoury (soprano), Silvia Tro Santafé (mezzo), Marko Mimica (bajo), Celso Albelo (tenor), Anna Tobella... [+]
Opera I Puritani de Bellini organized by ABAO. Basque Orchestra. Director: Giacomo Sagripanti. Bilbao Opera Choir. Director: Boris Dujin. Scene address: Emilio Sagi. Scenography: Daniel Bianco. Soloists: Jessica Pratt (soprano), Xabier Anduaga (tenor), Andrzej Filonczyk... [+]
Recital of Verdi organized by the ABAO
Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa. Director: Daniel Oren. Bilbao Opera Choir. Director: Boris Dujin. Soloists: Angela Meade (soprano), Daniela Barcellone (mezzo), Sergio Escobar (tenor), Giovanni Meoni (baritone), David Lagares (low).Place: ... [+]
Rigoletto is one of those works that you can enjoy a thousand times without getting tired. It is one of the most prominent operas of Verdi, with well-known and beautiful passages and an argument that attracts the public. The story of a gibose trying to protect his daughter from... [+]
One of the most interesting ABAO projects in recent years has been called Tutto Verdi. In this cycle all the operas of the composer Verdi have been represented, without exception. And the last of these operas is the one we mentioned below. Alzira.
For many reasons it was worth... [+]
It is a pleasure to be able to enjoy two works of the twentieth century that deepen the soul of women in the Euskalduna Palace. Rarely will we be able to listen to these short, live and arguably hard operas, because they're actually rarely programmed. And the truth is, we can't... [+]
It's always a pleasure to enjoy a Mozart opera. In the broad repertoire of the Salzburg composer there are genuine gemstones and not only from a musical point of view. This is the case of La clemenza di Tito, a singular work, of an introspective nature from the psychological... [+]
