But
why is Luisa Fernanda not an opera? And other things you may
want to know about zarzuela, Spanish opera, and Plácido Domingo's
hopes for the art form...
Here
Plácido Domingo fields questions from his listeners, following
a duet from Luisa Fernanda performed by artists from the
Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. In the process, Domingo cites
with obvious satisfaction the growing popularity of zarzuela among
young singers from all over the world, discusses the difference
between zarzuela and opera, shares his hopes for the art form, and
delves a bit into the history of Spanish opera.
For our part, we learn
some things of uncommon knowledge, to wit: the spoken dialogue, more
than the music, carries much of the drama in zarzuela, but too much
of it can cause serious production problems; it is no accident that
Spanish opera has historically been disadvantaged in favor of Italian
opera; the great Spanish composer Albéniz wrote an operatic trilogy
in the fashion of Wagner's Ring.
There's more. But again...
Basta! Let's instead listen to Domingo articulating his thoughts
and dreams.
Or BUY
the DVD - it makes a wonderful gift to yourself and to your
friends.
========================== NOTE: Music
clip:
duet from Luisa Fernanda, sung bytenor David Lomeli
and soprano Karen Vuong with
piano accompaniment by Nino Sanikidze. The three artists are participants
in
LA Opera's
Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. David Lomeli is the 2006 winner
of Operalia,
the international vocal competition founded by Plácido Domingo;
he sings the roles of Savoyard and Javier Moreno (June 5 performance)
in
Luisa Fernanda. ==========================
Back - Emilio Sagi on the plot of Luisa Fernanda 