Slimmed and old and new for the 2024 Teatro Colón season
A consequence of the difficult economic conditions and the need for a level of austerity in Argentina, as well as possibly another well-publicised issue, the Teatro Colón’s 2024 season was announced ‘unseasonally’ late (in February, rather than the usual previous November) and at least for opera, it is leaner in number with a focus on revivals of past popular productions and more use of local rather than visiting artists.
The season starts in April with a revival of Marcelo Lombardero’s 2019 production of Ariadne auf Naxos modernised to a Greek style location. Carla Filipcic Holm once again takes the lead role as the Prima Donna with Sergio Escobar as the Tenor/Bacchus, Tamara Gura as the Composer and Ekaterina Lekhina returning as Zerbinetta. Günter Neuhold is conducting.
Another revival follows in May of Roberto Oswald’s Turandot premiered in 2006 and likewise last put on in 2019. Carlos Vieu conducts with principals including Martina Serafín in the title role, Marcelo Puente as Calaf, Jaquelina Livieri as Liú and Lucas Debevec Mayer as Timur.
July sees the Argentine premiere of Calixto Bieito’s Carmen with a cast including Francesca di Sauro in the title role, Gustavo López Manzitti as Don José, Jaquelina Livieri as Micaëla and Christian Peregrino as Escamillo, with Kakhi Solomnishvili conducting.
Menotti’s The Consul returns in August in the 2022 production by Rubén Szuchmacher with Marcelo Ayub on the podium and Sebastián Angulegui as John Sorel, Carla Filipcic Holm as Magda Sorel and Adriana Mastrángelo as the Secretary.
The first new production of the year comes in September with Héctor Panizza’s most popular opera Aurora. Betty Gambartes is the producer with the cast including Daniela Tabernig in the title role, Fermín Prieto as Mariano and Hernán Iturralde as Don Ignacio.
Then in November another new production – and what appears to be its first in the Teatro Colón – of Orpheus in the Underworld by Pablo Maritani. Christian Baldini conducts with principals including Carlos Natale as Orfeo and Mercedes Arcuri as Euridice.
A new production of Un ballo in maschera rounds out the season at the end of November and into December. Rita Cosentino directs, and the principals include Alessandra di Giorgio as Amelia and Fabián Veloz as Renato – a role he excelled in the last production in 2013.
Also to note in addition to this main season, the chamber opera Kassandr(x) with text by Sergio Blanco and music by Pablo Ortiz will be presented in August as a co-production between the Teatro Colón’s experimentation centre and its counterpart at the National Opera of Greece. María Castillo de Lima takes the role of Kassandra.
A revival of Einstein on the Beach in the 2023 production by Martín Bauer also is set for April.
For more information on the 2024 season download the guide here.
Jonathan Spencer Jones