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Very interesting modern opera. Typically I try to go into an opera (or a ballet) I haven't seen before without reading anything about it, but in this case I would have really been helped by cracking the program and reading a synopsis in advance.
Ainadamar tells the story of the life and death of the poet and playwright, Federico Garcia Lorca, through the eyes of actress Margarita Xirgu. The opera relies on the framework of the play Mariana Pineda, written by Lorca for Xirgu to star in the title role; it took me a while to realize that Pineda wasn't a character in the opera herself and that we were actually using the play, which Xirgu continued to stage for years after Lorca's death, to slip backwards in time and explore her memories of the past. Once I figured that out, I really admired the framework of it and the repetition of the ballad about Pineda that threads throughout the opera. I also got confused about the fact that a female singer was playing Lorca - I've read some of his work, but I wasn't at all familiar with his life story, so I didn't know that that would make sense based on, according to the program, "Lorca's androgynous voice and feminine sensibilities". I spent a while wondering if it was a woman, feeling sure it wasn't, then wondering again if it was, and it really distracted me from the story.
I really liked the music, and the fact that they used flamenco dancers, and a male flamenco singer instead of a regular opera singer for the role of the man who arrested and murdered Lorca. What an amazing voice, singing so beautifully and passionately about such a horrible thing - the contrast was intense. The scene of Lorca's death was also really intense, well staged, and powerful.
One of the things about this opera that was very helpful in practical terms was the fact that the running time was 80 minutes with no intermission - we were actually able to see the entire opera, leave in a leisurely manner afterward, and not have to worry about rushing for the train. In this case, an intermission might have helped me catch up on my program reading and perhaps enjoy more of the opera, but I did eventually figure out what was going on and get up to speed for the final climactic scenes.
Of note: the text of this opera was written by David Henry Hwang, author of the play M. Butterfly, which I adored.
Overall, I recommend this opera to Heather. :)
Ainadamar tells the story of the life and death of the poet and playwright, Federico Garcia Lorca, through the eyes of actress Margarita Xirgu. The opera relies on the framework of the play Mariana Pineda, written by Lorca for Xirgu to star in the title role; it took me a while to realize that Pineda wasn't a character in the opera herself and that we were actually using the play, which Xirgu continued to stage for years after Lorca's death, to slip backwards in time and explore her memories of the past. Once I figured that out, I really admired the framework of it and the repetition of the ballad about Pineda that threads throughout the opera. I also got confused about the fact that a female singer was playing Lorca - I've read some of his work, but I wasn't at all familiar with his life story, so I didn't know that that would make sense based on, according to the program, "Lorca's androgynous voice and feminine sensibilities". I spent a while wondering if it was a woman, feeling sure it wasn't, then wondering again if it was, and it really distracted me from the story.
I really liked the music, and the fact that they used flamenco dancers, and a male flamenco singer instead of a regular opera singer for the role of the man who arrested and murdered Lorca. What an amazing voice, singing so beautifully and passionately about such a horrible thing - the contrast was intense. The scene of Lorca's death was also really intense, well staged, and powerful.
One of the things about this opera that was very helpful in practical terms was the fact that the running time was 80 minutes with no intermission - we were actually able to see the entire opera, leave in a leisurely manner afterward, and not have to worry about rushing for the train. In this case, an intermission might have helped me catch up on my program reading and perhaps enjoy more of the opera, but I did eventually figure out what was going on and get up to speed for the final climactic scenes.
Of note: the text of this opera was written by David Henry Hwang, author of the play M. Butterfly, which I adored.
Overall, I recommend this opera to Heather. :)
