From May 20 to June 11, Bogotá will be the center of the International Zarzuela and Lyric Art Season, an event organized by the Lyrical Art Foundation and the Cafam Theater in co-production with the Ministry of Culture of Spain.
This time, and at the request of the public, the most memorable pieces of opera and zarzuela will be staged, for an audience that knows and loves the genre that every year attends the event to witness emblematic pieces of lyrical art like the “Anthology de zarzuela”, “Carmen” (Spanish version), “La viuda alegre” (Spanish version), for a luxurious closing with “La rosa del azafrán”, one of the most traditional zarzuelas in Spain, directed by Orchestra led by Luis Fernando Pérez, stage direction by Milagros Martin, under the general direction of Estrella Barbero de Malagón.
It will be the greatest opportunity to enjoy the best lyrical repertoire with the presence on stage of the most virtuous soloists from Spain, Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia, who will overflow all their talent in a masterful show with stars from Spain, such as María Rodríguez. , Javier Palacios, Gabriel Alonso and Ricardo Muñiz; from Cuba, Gloria Casas, Esteban Azculy, and from Venezuela, Mario Lo Russo, accompanied by Colombian talent such as Beatriz Mora, Claudia Escobar, Camilo Mendoza, Alejandro López and Andrés Rolan.
talent on stage
According to Estrella Barbero de Malagón, director of the Fundación Arte Lírico, these performances are made up of a cast of 30 voices directed by Zulay Peña, an orchestra of 30 musicians directed by Luis Fernando Pérez, and a dance group directed by La Yunna and Rolando Lopez.
“This is without counting the people who are behind the scenes: producers, makeup artists, costume designers, technical personnel (…) in total there are about 160 of us who work so that the public can appreciate a spectacular staging,” Barbero told EL NUEVO SIGLO, while stressing that the foundation he directs has been running international seasons for 38 years, in which various countries participate.
“In the beginning we had taken it outside of Bogotá, but due to the costs we are currently only doing it in the Cafam Theater. Fortunately, we have achieved something that is one of the missions we have and that is to bring the genre closer to the public, mainly to young people, for this reason, on Sundays we are giving a 30% discount to seniors and students so that it is a meeting family, because we have seen that almost always the parents go, but the children do not go. The objective is then that the little ones in the house are interested in the lyrical voices”, highlighted the director of the foundation.
This season’s proposal looks more dynamic, youthful and modern. A show where the Orchestra is of the Fundación de Arte Lírico –formed by former members of the Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic– and in which the dancers will combine their talent with theatre, romanticism and a bit of humor.
This is how the Teatro Cafam and the Ministry of Culture of Spain have joined forces to keep lyrical art alive and come up with this season that brings the classics of all time to a wide audience familiar with the genre.
Programming
The “Anthology of zarzuela” officially opens the International Season of Lyric Art and Zarzuela on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May.
This is a compendium of the best-known fragments of classics of the genre such as “Luisa Fernanda”, “La leyenda del beso”, “La del soto del parral”, “Los gavilanes” and other emblematic songs performed by Spanish and Cuban soloists, accompanied by Colombian talent.
In these fragments the viewer will be able to take an emotional journey through the stories of love and tragedy that usually involves the magic of the zarzuela with its dances and typical jotas that are part of the entire atmosphere that is breathed in each piece, in addition to the masterful performances. of his soloists.
A show in two acts, live orchestra and choir, plus the dance troupe directed by La Yunna and Rolando López, with a stage design that evokes the time when the events took place, luxurious costumes and all the staging that takes the public to those main scenarios in Spain where this anthology takes place, which talks about love, pain and tragedy with picaresque scenes where the typical characters of the genre come together and give life to these classics of the lyrical genre.
Then the function “Carmen” (translated into Spanish) will be presented on May 27 and 28. Subsequently, “The Merry Widow” (translated into Spanish) on June 3 and 4 and finally, “La rosa del azafrán”, on June 10 and 11.
Zarzuela from 87
Estrella Malagon Barber In 1987, together with a group of great figures in the performing arts, he created the Fundación Arte Lírico to continue the legacy of European companies that brought the zarzuela genre to Colombia, but did not return to the country due to economic crises.
This was explained by Barbero, who affirmed that “zarzuela was coming here for a long time, but due to costs the Spanish companies could not return. I always wanted zarzuela to continue being performed in the country, that’s when I founded the Fundación Arte Lírico”.
Likewise, the connection that Estrella has had with the zarzuela, more than with the opera, also consists of a cultural ties to her roots, since as she pointed out, “I come from a Spanish family, that’s why in terms of the zarzuela, the I am rooted by my roots”.
Since its creation, the Foundation has staged the operas “Don Pascual”, “La traviata” in Spanish; the operettas “The Merry Widow”, “The Pharaoh’s Court”, “The Count of Luxembourg” and the zarzuelas “La verbena de la paloma”, “La rosa del azafrán”, “El duo de la africana”, “La tabernera of the port”; in addition to the Colombian zarzuela “Reveletorum”, the Cuban zarzuelas “María La O” and “Cecilia Valdés” and the shows “Zarzuela 2000” and “Scenic Dreams”.