Press Office21/07/2017
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
ANTOLOGÍA DE LA ZARZUELA
Arena di Verona
21 July 2017 – 10:00 pm
On Friday 21st July at 10:00 pm, under the enchanting star-studded sky of the Arena di Verona, the second eagerly awaited special evening of the 2017 Opera Festival 2017 is being staged:Plácido Domingo - Antología de la Zarzuela.
The much-awaited gala’s star is the famous Madrid artist PlácidoDomingo, a guest of the Arena since 1969, along with great performers not only of opera repertoire, but also specialists in the Spain’s traditional Zarzuela genre, on which the evening is focussed:soprano Ana María Martínez, whom Arena spectators were already be able to appreciate on the occasion of the Gala Domingo-Operalia during the 2013 Centenary Festival,tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz, who debuted to great applause on the stage of the Verona amphitheatre on 14th July as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto.
Acclaimed on his debut in the amphitheatre conducting Nabucco, Jordi Bernàcer returns to the podium of the Orchestra of the Arena diVerona.The show is directed by the Arena’s Stefano Trespidi and lighting design by Paolo Mazzon.
The program,unique in the Arena di Verona repertoire, presents romanzas, duets and terzets from renowned zarzuelas:The Zarzuela is a genre combining music, prose and dance, and features Spanish topics and settings; it origins date back to around the 15th century, but was officially established in 1629, the date of the performance at Madrid’s Royal Palace of the pastoral eclogue by Lope de Vega La selva sin amor, with music by an unknown composer.Similar to Italian operetta, France’s opéra comique, Germany’s Singspiel and English musical plays, for its alternation of spoken and sung parts, it can be a serious or comic composition and its name indicates both the libretto and the music.
The evening Mr. Domingo wants to offer Arena spectators is further enriched by the special participation of the Compañía Antonio Gades, directed by dancer and choreographer Stella Arauzo, a company that plays a key role in Spanish dance and flamenco on the international scenario and is supported by the Antonio Gades Foundation, established in 2004 after the death of the famous artist – who performed at the Arena in 1961 as principal dancer in Carmen - to preserve and spread Gades’s teaching.
The Spanish flamenco and dance Company takes the stage immediately at the beginning of the program with the intermezzo from La boda de Luis Alonso by Spanish composer Gerónimo Giménez, with choreography by Mayte Chico and Stella Arauzo.This is followed by an aria sung by Plácido Domingo, “Quiero desterrar” from La del soto del parral, then “No corté más que una rosa” from La del manojo de rosas by Pablo Sorozábal, in which the soloist is soprano Ana María Martínez.Then comes Arturo Chacón-Cruz, performing “Te quiero, morena” from El trust de los tenorios by José Serrano, which is followed by the duet “No cantes más La Africana” from El dúo de La Africana by Manuel Fernández Caballero with Domingo and Martínez.
The Arena di Verona’s Orchestra then plays the intermezzo from Goyescas by Enrique Granados, and then accompanies Mr. Domingo again in “Mi aldea” from Los gavilanes by Jacinto Guerrero.The first part of the program is concluded by the duet by Ana María Martínez and Arturo Chacón-Cruz “Amor, mi raza sabe conquistar” from La leyenda del beso by Soutullo and Vert and the aria by Domingo “No puede ser” from La tabernera del puerto by Sorozábal.Between the two pieces, a ballet movement, with the Compañía Antonio Gades performing the extremely famous “Ritual fire dance” from El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla with the historical choreography by Gades himself, in which Esmeralda Manzanas interprets the protagonist Candela.
The second part of the evening opens with the third Spanish choreography on the program by the Compañía Antonio Gades:“Farruca” from El sombrero de tres picos by Manuel de Falla, with choreography by José Huertas, who will also be the soloist.This is followed by the duet “En mi tierra extremeña” from Luisa Fernanda by Federico Moreno-Torroba, with Plácido Domingo and Ana María Martínez, a zarzuela from which Arturo Chacón-Cruz will sing immediately after “De este apacible rincón de Madrid”; Ana María Martínez then interprets “Tres horas antes del día” from La marchenera, also by Moreno-Torroba, and Domingo will conclude with “Luche la fe por el triunfo”, again from Luisa Fernanda.
Then comes the last dance piece, in which the Compañía Antonio Gades will perform a choreography by Antonio Gades and Carlos Saura to the famous music of the “Entr’acte” of Act 5 of Carmen by Georges Bizet, alternated with pieces of flamenco music sung by María Carmona and Manuel Palacín, with guitarist Antonio Solera; for this performance, dancer Esmeralda Manzanas will be the beautiful cigar factory worker Carmen, alongside a Don Joséperformed by José Huertas, the Toreroby Jairo Rodríguez and the entire dance company.
The program then continues with more songs, with Martínez and Domingo in “Hace tiempo que vengo al taller”, another piece from La del manojo de rosas by Sorozábal, and concludes with the terzet “¿Me yamaba, Rafaliyo” from the famous zarzuela El gato montés by Manuel Penella Moreno, with Plácido Domingo, Ana María Martínez and Arturo Chacón-Cruz.
The evening is therefore a true tribute to the genre that has the closest bonds with the personal and artistic origins of Mr. Domingo who, with his undisputed talent and exciting flamenco rhythms, will offer the Arena audience all the warmth and energy of this age-old Spanish tradition.
Info
Fondazione Arena di Verona Press Office – Via Roma 7/D, 37121 Verona
tel.(+39) 045 805.1861-1905-1891-1939 - fax (+39) 045 803.1443
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Prices:from € 21.00 to € 226.00
PART I
Gerónimo Giménez
“Intermedio” from La boda de Luis Alonso
Compañía Antonio Gades
Choreography: Mayte Chico and Stella Arauzo
Reveriano Soutullo and Juan Vert
“Quiero desterrar” from La del soto del parral
Plácido Domingo
Pablo Sorozábal
“No corté más que una rosa”
from La del manojo de rosas
Ana María Martínez
José Serrano
“Te quiero, morena” from El trust de los tenorios
Arturo Chacón-Cruz
Manuel Fernández Caballero
“No cantes más La Africana”
from El dúo de La Africana
Plácido Domingo and Ana María Martínez
Enrique Granados
“Intermedio” from Goyescas
Arena di Verona Orchestra
Jacinto Guerrero
“Mi aldea” from Los gavilanes
Plácido Domingo
Reveriano Soutullo and Juan Vert
“Amor, mi raza sabe conquistar”
from La leyenda del beso
Ana María Martínez and Arturo Chacón-Cruz
Manuel de Falla
“Danza ritual del fuego” from El amor brujo
Compañía Antonio Gades
Choreography:Antonio Gades
PART II
Manuel de Falla
“Farruca” from El sombrero de tres picos
Compañía Antonio Gades
Choreography:José Huertas
Federico Moreno-Torroba
“En mi tierra extremeña” from Luisa Fernanda
Plácido Domingo and Ana María Martínez
Federico Moreno-Torroba
“De este apacible rincón de Madrid"
from Luisa Fernanda
Arturo Chacón-Cruz
Federico Moreno-Torroba
“Tres horas antes del día” from La marchenera
Ana María Martínez
Federico Moreno-Torroba
“Luche la fe por el triunfo” from Luisa Fernanda
Plácido Domingo
Georges Bizet
“Entr’acte” from Carmen
and Flamenco
Compañía Antonio Gades
Choreography:Antonio Gades and Carlos Saura
Pablo Sorozábal
“Hace tiempo que vengo al taller”
from La del manojo de rosas
Ana María Martínez and Plácido Domingo
Manuel Penella Moreno
“¿Me yamaba, Rafaliyo” from El gato montés
Plácido Domingo, Ana María Martínez
and Arturo Chacón-Cruz
Pablo Sorozábal
“No puede ser ” from La tabernera del puerto
Plácido Domingo
OUR THANKS GO TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THE 2017 ARENA DI VERONA OPERA FESTIVAL
Thanks go to all the supporters of the 2017 Arena di Verona Opera Festival, in particular to UniCredit, leading European banking group, Major Partnerof the Opera Festival for over twenty years, Special PartnerAGSM, Official Sponsors Intimissimi and Veronafiere, Automotive Partner Volkswagen Group Italia, Mobility Partner DB Bahn Italia and Media PartnerRadio Monte Carlo.