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Opera Hispánica's Inaugural Concert

Matthew Wollin
October 29, 2010

On September 29, 2010, Americas Society presented the premiere concert in Opera Hispánica’s inaugural season. As the first opera company in the New York City area to perform a predominantly Spanish-language repertoire, Opera Hispánica is devoted to presenting the best of Latin American and Spanish opera. Zarzuela (Spanish Musical Theater) also forms an integral part of the company’s repertoire, and the company’s aim is to uphold the artistic integrity of these traditions while simultaneously providing support to emerging composers, and bringing these elements to audiences with inventive, engaging programming.

In their inaugural concert, Opera Hispánica demonstrated their commitment to presenting traditional elements in innovative and entertaining ways, showcasing the breadth of their repertoire with a program that flowed seamlessly from Pablo Neruda to Astor Piazzolla to Amadeo Vives and back again. Framed around Neruda’s sonnet 93, Si alguna vez tu pecho se detiene / If one day your breast pauses, and choice operatic excerpts, the semi-staged performance saw four performers assuming the roles of distant lovers, flowing in and out of Americas Society’s Salon Simón Bolívar in a beautifully choreographed performance.

The performance was a testament to both the artistic merits of the group and the cohesiveness of the tradition within which they operate. Modern-day operagoers are most often acquainted with a fairly strict lineage of composers and performers, the vast majority of whom are European, and even then sticking to the traditions—and languages—of France, Italy, and Germany. On the other hand, the composers presented in Opera Hispánica’s program are largely Spanish, which is a language and tradition generally consigned to the outskirts of mainstream opera.

Zarzuela, and in particular the romantic variant presented in this concert, is a distinct genre characterized by a combination of spoken and sung scenes, dance, and popular and operatic songs. Though Zarzuela’s birthplace is in Spain, it subsequently put down roots in many Spanish colonies where local traditions developed with their own characters and styles. The incorporation of the Zarzuela repertoire alongside iconic Chilean poet Pablo Neruda demonstrates just how much the temperaments of these different Latin American arts hew together.

Below is the text of Neruda’s sonnet 93 that was the narrative inspiration for the evening, as well as video and photos from the performance.

Si alguna vez tu pecho se detiene Pablo Neruda
Si alguna vez tu pecho se detiene, si algo deja de andar por tus venas, si tu voz en tu boca se va sin ser palabra, si tus manos se olvidan de volar y se duermen,	If one day your breast pauses, if something no longer burns through your veins, if the voice in your mouth leaves without a word, if your hands forget to fly and sleep instead,
Matilde, amor, deja tus labios entreabiertos porque ese ultimo beso debe durar conmigo, debe quedar inmóvil para siempre en tu boca para que así también me acompañe en mi muerte.	Matilde, amor, leave your lips half-open, because that last kiss should last in me, it should remain motionless forever in your mouth so that, thus, it too goes with me to my death.
Me moriré besando tu loca boca fría, abrazando el racimo perdido de tu cuerpo, y buscando la luz de tus ojos cerrados.	I’ll die kissing your crazy cold mouth, embracing the lost cluster of your body, and searching the light of your closed eyes.
Y así cuando la tierra reciba nuestro abrazo iremos confundidos en una sola muerte a vivir para siempre la eternidad de un beso.	And so when earth receives our embrace, we’ll go bewildered in a single death, to live forever the eternity of a kiss.

See more in: Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Music

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