Spain Falla, La vida breve & Torres, Tejas verdes: Soloists, Chorus & Orchestra of Teatro Real / Jordi Francés (conductor). Teatro Real, Madrid, 22.2.2025. (JMI)
Teatro Real has staged a double bill dedicated to Spanish opera which included Manuel de Falla’s La vida breve and the world premiere of Jesús Torres’s Tejas verdes.
La vida breve had not been seen at Teatro Real since 2001 when it was conducted by Pedro Halffter in the production by Francisco Nieva – a version which had its premiere at the reopening of the theatre in 1997. On this occasion, there is a new production from Rafael R. Villalobos.
The same set is used for both operas on the double bill and consists of rotating metal structures on each side of the stage that are used for different scenes. The action takes place on the stage and on the metal sets. It is striking that the male dancers wear costumes that seem military (and even like members of the 1930s Falange), which is better understood in the production of Tejas verdes. The stage direction is adequate.
The music director was Jordi Francés, whom I had not seen conducting until now. His reading was brilliant and made the most of the Teatro Real Orchestra. The truth is that it was a truly interesting first occasion.
The protagonist, Salud, was played by soprano Adriana González, who gave a good performance although there were also shadows: her volume is not excessive, and the low notes are insufficient. Paco was played by tenor Eduardo Aladrén who has an attractive voice and was correct in the role.
I found Ana Ibarra as Abuela, the Grandmother, to have a voice with too much vibrato, rather tremulous, regardless of whether her stage performance was good or not. Rubén Amoretti as Uncle Sarvaor was correct but not much more.
The secondary characters were played by Sara Jiménez (the Mother), Gerardo Bullón (Manuel), Carmen Mateo (Carmela) and Alejandro del Cerro (Voice of La Fragua). María Marín’s performance as the Singer was good.
The second part of the double bill was the world premiere of the opera Tejas verdes by composer Jesús Torres, who had previously presented his opera Tránsito in Madrid and Valencia. The libretto is by Fermín Cabal and, in my opinion, it is quite confusing: the action of the opera takes place in present, past and future which does not help one follow the plot. The music is what one would expect from a contemporary opera: orchestral abundance, non-existent melody and rather irregular musical moments.
This production was also by Rafael R. Villalobos, who used the same set as for La vida breve and, once again, a dance troupe and a chorus in military uniforms. That would seem to indicate that the misfortune of the protagonist, unjustly murdered by the military revolt, takes place during the Spanish Civil War, although there are those who place the action in the Pinochet dictatorship. The stage direction was appropriate.
Again, the conductor was Jordi Francés and, again, his reading was brilliant, taking into account the difficulty that this type of modern music often presents. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real gave a fine performance.
The protagonist, Colorina, was played by soprano Natalia Labourdette, who was convincing throughout. This was my first time hearing her, and the impression was positive. The Doctor who defends the nonexistence of torture was played by Ana Ibarra, who repeated the impression left in La vida breve: excessive vibrato. Alicia Amo as the Informer has an appealing voice, as does Maria Miro as the Sister.
José M. Irurzun
Production:
Director & Costumes – Rafael R. Villalobos
Sets – Emanuele Sinisi
Lighting – Felipe Ramos
Choreography – Estévez / Paños Compañía
Chorus director – José Luis Basso
Casts:
La Vida Breve
Salud – Adriana González
Paco – Eduardo Aladrén
Grandmother – Ana Ibarra
The Mother – Sara Jiménez
Uncle Sarvaor – Rubén Amoretti
Manuel (Judge) – Gerardo Bullón
Carmela (Manuel’s sister) / Salesperson – Carmen Mateo
The Voice of La Fragua / Seller – Alejandro del Cerro
Singer and Guitarist – María Marín
Saleswomen – Laura Vila
Tejas verdes
Colorina – Natalia Labourdette
Doctor – Ana Ibarra
Informer – Alicia Amo
Sister – Maria Miró
Mother – Sandra Ferrández
Undertaker – Laura Vila
Miguel – Alejandro del Cerro
Voice-over – Gloria Muñoz
Dancers – José Alarcón, Adrián Gómez, Sara Jiménez, Pol Martínez, Jorge Morera, Yoel Vargas
Actors – Óscar Azuaga, José Carpe, Nacho Rodríguez, José Ruíz