The Metropolitan Opera is now showing “Ainadamar“ an opera by Osvaldo Golijov that brings to life the story of Federico García Lorca the Spanish poet. This piece‚ first performed about 21 years ago takes viewers on a 90-minute journey through Lorcas life and death using memories of Catalan actress Margarita Xirgu.
The opera‚ directed by Deborah Colker uses a mix of music dance and visual effects to create a dream-like feel. Its split into three parts (called “images“) instead of acts‚ and keeps moving non-stop. The set‚ made by Jon Bausor looks like a “fountain of tears“ – which is what Ainadamar means in Arabic. It has strings hanging down that catch light and show Lorcas poems.
On 10/16/2024 Angel Blue sang the part of Margarita Xirgu. Her voice was clear and strong but also showed Margaritas sadness. Daniela Mack played Lorca (even though shes a woman) which made Lorca seem young in Margaritas memories. The opera also had great Flamenco dancing‚ which was a big part of the show.
The music‚ led by Miguel Harth-Bedoya for the first time at the Met used Spanish sounds like guitars and box drums. It mixed these with the normal opera orchestra. One cool part used the sound of gunshots as music‚ which was pretty striking.
The opera talks about how Lorca used his poetry to fight against the bad guys (fascists) who killed him about 88 years ago. It shows that even when things are really bad‚ art and beauty can help people get through it. Lorca says in the opera “I want to sing between the explosions!“ which kind of sums up the whole idea.
Weʼll exterminate the seeds of the Revolution‚ even in the wombs of their mothers. Long live death!
Some people might find the opera a bit confusing if they dont know much about Lorca before they go. Also‚ it seems to end a few times before it really does. But overall‚ its a pretty amazing show that makes you think about how important art is‚ even when things are tough.
You can see “Ainadamar“ at the Met Opera until 11/9/2024. If you like poetry music or just want to see something different its worth checking out