The Orquesta Sinfónica del Sodre presents Noche lírica. Under the baton of Ligia Amadio as guest conductor, the Ossodre performs works by Mozart, Rossini, Puccini, Giordano, Cilea, Bellini, Gounod, Saint-Saëns and Verdi.

The concert will feature renowned soloists: sopranos Luz del Alba Rubio, Eiko Senda and Verónica Cangemi, mezzo-sopranos Adriana Mastrángelo and Carolina Rotela, baritones Gustavo Balbella and Alfonso Mujica and tenors Alfredo Belloni and Angelo Zapata.

That in this veristic melodrama of rivalries, politics, thwarted passions and brutal outcome the words “honour” or “revenge” are never once said gives an idea of Puccini’s intentions to transcend and renew the framework of Italian melodrama as well as the Verismo style. Proof of this is the almost cinematographic pace of the dramatic action, the abundance of leitmotiv examples and the massive orchestration which reaches its heights in scenes like the «Te Deum» or the interrogation scene. Under the iron hand of sinister Scarpia, the lovers Tosca and Cavaradossi are unable to raise their voices except to express discouragement and defeat, portrayed as victims. They are fully-fledged creations of a century which witnessed the birth of the modern totalitarian state, mass destruction and genocide. First seen at the Teatro Costanzi of Rome in 1900, to this day Tosca is one of the most popular and incombustible of operas. Suitable for all tastes, it comes to the stage of the Teatro Real in the production of Paco Azorín, which premiered at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. This is a vibrant and explicit version, set on a revolving stage accompanied by video projections.

"The programme begins with Requiem for a Rose by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, a leading international choreographer, with whom we worked through a screen. We were thousands of miles apart, but thanks to the professionalism of the dancers and her enthusiasm, we achieved a successful result.

Then we will present Three Preludes by Ben Stevenson, remounted by Sara Nieto, who after many years returned to the company, rescuing the tradition of the Ballet de Santiago and transmitting all her knowledge to the new generations.

Another special moment will be Andreza Randisek and Rodrigo Guzmán's interpretation of the "pas de deux" from Carmen, created by Marcia Haydée. Andreza, the company's star prima ballerina, today bids farewell to the Ballet de Santiago and to the stage.

We end the programme with La 5ª, a creation by Esdras Hernández, who is also a soloist in the company, staging the full force of a work with a modern language".

Luis Ortigoza, artistic director

Les contes fantastiques d'Hoffmann, a play by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré produced at the Théâtre Odeon in Paris in 1851, was seen by Offenbach. It was then performed as an opera, at the piano and with cuts, at the composer's house in 1879, who died in 1880, leaving it unfinished. Ernest Giraud (1837-1892) undertook its orchestration and added recitatives. It was first performed at the Opéra Comique in Paris on 10 February 1881, without Giulietta's act. Eugenio Zanetti's present production introduces a film crew, preparing to film a biography of Hoffmann. These characters will intervene several times in the action.

The Gran Teatro Nacional del Ministerio de Cultura presents Alzira by Giuseppe Verdi, a work set in the viceroyalty of Peru. This opera is the first major international co-production of the Gran Teatro Nacional del Perú, the Asociación Bilbaína de Amigos de la Ópera (ABAO) of Spain and Opera Royal de Wallonie-Liége of Belgium.

The staging was premiered two years ago, as part of the celebrations for the Bicentenary of our independence, and has a libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, inspired by Voltaire's famous novel "Alzira and the Americans". The creative team was in charge of the Peruvian regista Jean Pierre Gamarra, who was in charge of the stage direction, and the Spanish maestro Oliver Díaz was responsible for the musical direction.

Alzira is a tragedy starring Argentinian soprano Jaquelina Livieri (Alzira), Peruvian tenor Juan Antonio de Dompablo (Zamoro) and baritone Jorge Tello (Guzmán), accompanied by outstanding soloists from the Peruvian National Choir and the National Symphony Orchestra. This production was recognised this year with the Ópera XXI award in the category "Best New Latin American Production" by the Asociación de Teatros, Festivales y Temporadas Estables de Ópera de España (Association of Theatres, Festivals and Stable Opera Seasons of Spain).

The story begins on a plain by the river Rímac, with Indians under the command of "Otumbo" holding the old Spanish governor "Álvaro" prisoner. The Inca "Zamoro" arrives on the scene and orders his release, even though he was kidnapped and tortured on the orders of the tyrant "Guzmán" (son of "Álvaro") so that the people would think he was dead. "Zamoro" learns that his beloved "Alzira" is held captive in the capital with her father "Ataliba" and rallies the scattered villages to resist the invading forces, turning the story into a harangue of the struggle for freedom.

In a contemporary re-reading, this version of the play allows for a dialogue between the history of viceregal Peru and the 1920s. Thus, in the background, a period of conflict between the aristocratic government and the native peoples is presented in an abstract space that represents the desecrated and violated land. It also projects the combat between Europeans in America and the American owner of the invaded territory, the incessant struggle for power and the tragic fate of a woman subjected to a political and social system guided by ambitious and obsessive men.

An inventor is visited by a man at the centre of the Earth who asks her to build a machine that can move forever. More than science fiction, the opera Moto-continuo, by composer Piero Schlochauer, is about something deeper.

With a libretto by Beatriz Porto, Isabela Pretti and Piero himself, Moto-continuo is a one-act opera, about 30 minutes long, written for wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon), tympani and two percussionists, and features the Amazonas Philharmonic, with soloists Juliana Taino (mezzo-soprano) and Erick Souza (baritone).

A perpetual motion, which gives its name to the work, is a hypothetical machine that would use the energy of its own movement indefinitely. An impossible machine, since its idea violates the laws of thermodynamics. "The invention itself, perpetual motion, was one of the last ideas to be discussed. The impulses and anxieties of the characters on stage came first and were the guiding elements in the construction of the narrative," notes the composer. Piero stresses that the entire opera is structured in an uninterrupted dialogue between the inventor and the man who visits her. Despite giving the impression of science fiction that could have come out of one of French writer Jules Verne's books, Piero ensures that the focus of the work is elsewhere

"The real crux of the matter is the dynamic between the two in this eternal search for meaning, which is unknown. The text itself, in the words spoken and sung, is not even that metaphorical: the dialogues could be said by anyone. But the conception of the ensemble gives room for many different readings and interpretations, which always provides a rich experience for the audience," he emphasises.

About the production and the chosen soloists, the composer reveals that the audience can expect an "impeccable" event. "Juliana Taino and Erick Souza read the material beautifully, realising and giving a dimension to the characters far beyond the surface, and with beautiful voices. All the equipment scaled by FAO was impeccable, the direction by William Pereira, the performance by the Amazonas Philharmonic, the set design by Giorgia Massetani, built from the existing structure of the Catavento Museum.

Comedy of errors set in Seville, Spain, where Fígaro and Susana - servants of Count Almaviva - are about to be united in marriage. Before giving his permission for the marriage, the Count plans to seduce Susana, exercising the abolished "right of pernada". The loving couple, in collusion with the grieving Countess Almaviva, prepare to prevent this at all costs. Meanwhile, the Count himself discovers that the page boy Cherubino is trying to flirt with his wife, a fact that arouses his fury against the young man. And, in turn, Marcelina and Bartolo will do their utmost to ensure that Figaro fulfils an ancient contract that obliges him to marry her, much to the Count's delight. The general imbroglio in the palace of Almaviva will escalate until it reaches a climax in the resolution of which a series of unexpected events will intervene.

The story of the servant girl magically transformed into a princess is found in the traditional stories of ancient Greece, the Tang dynasty of China, Arabian Nights, as well in the fairytales of Perrault, the Brothers Grimm and –as we all know – Walt Disney. However, in none of these - as far as we know - is there the Hamlet-like question we hear in La Cenerentola:  ≪.Am I prince or a cauliflower? ≫. In effect, a century and a half  of commedia dell’arte  tradition and another of opera buffa  had not elapsed in vain for this dramma giocoso  exceeded all expectations of its time –the opera  reached Constantinople, Buenos Aires, Calcutta and Sydney only a few decades after its premiere in Rome – and its popularity continues to captivate audiences today. 

On this occasion, the light-hearted and lively production by Stefan Herheim adds an unexpected ingredient to an exciting mix of humour and fantasy because the composer himself makes an appearance and demonstrates how, in reality, true magic is found in the human voice. 

Anne Schwanewilms' debut is one of the most eagerly awaited at LIFE Victoria. Born in Germany, she excels in the female roles created by Richard Strauss - her last appearance in Barcelona was Arabella at the Liceu - but also in Wagnerian roles such as Elsa (Lohengrin) or Elisabeth (Tannhäuser), as well as in other titles such as Dialogue des Carmélites, Wozzeck or Otello. Inspired by the drama of opera, the soprano performs once again in Barcelona in a programme divided into four parts, four journeys of the soul that review some of her favourite recitalistic composers.

In the first part, Himmelfahrt (Ascension) will perform Lieder eteris by Mahler, such as "Wo die Trompeten blasen" and Debussy, such as "L'invitation au voyage", which gives its name to the 2020 edition. The three Lieder d'Ofelia by Strauss, her composer of choice, will be the focus of the second part devoted to Reisen in den Irrsinn (Journeys into Madness), while Debussy's Proses lyriques will be the focus of the Traumreisen (Poetic Journeys). Finally, Wolf's Lieder will bring the magic to a close with the last part Phantasiereisen (Journeys into Fantasy) of this long-awaited recital.

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the great 20th century choreographer, Yuri Grigorovich, The Bolshoi Theatre brings back to life The Golden Age.
The ballet was first presented at the Kirov Theatre in 1930, with, as its central theme, the battle and triumph of the proletariat against the decadent bourgeoisie. Surprisingly, the score by Dmitri Shostakovich raised political controversies, and consequently, the ballet vanished from the theaters until 1982, when Yuri Grigorovich restaged it with sets by Simon Virsaladze and a completely new libretto with a love story as its central focus. The conflict in the original production was recast as a clash between fishermen – the idealistic and morally superior workers – and society’s criminal elements.

Revived thirty-four years later with great artists of the new generation of the Bolshoi Ballet interpreting the lead roles, as Nina Kaptsova, Mikhail Lobukhin or Ruslan Skvortsov, the ballet finally made history.

In October 2020, the Victoria de Los Angeles Festival programs the Winterreise for the first time.

The baritone Samuel Hasselhorn accompanied on piano by Ammiel Bushakevitz takes us into Schubert's Winter Journey.

Woman voice journey

Dedicating the edition to the journeys of the soul, it was almost mandatory to start the 2021 festival with Winterreise, this winter journey, introspective, mysterious ... and an inexhaustible source of interpretations and nuances. Thus, throughout 2020-21 we will have approached the Schubert cycle through various visions: the most classic, with the baritone but young and fresh interpretation of Samuel Hasselhorn and the experience of Malcolm Martineau; a more innovative one, with the dramatic approach of Rafael R. Villalobos in the countertenor thesis of Xavier Sabata and Francisco Poyato at the piano; and finally that of a reference tenor like Mark Padmore, representative of the English school, with James Baillieu at the piano. This list could not miss the feminine approach to travel, and nobody better to do it than the mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, who will offer, together with the always romantic Julius Drake at the piano, a vision with a lot to say about the myth of Schubert and what not. will leave no one indifferent.