''El poeta'' is a Spanish opera composed by Federico Moreno Torroba. It premiered at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain on 19 June 1980, starring

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

, Ángeles Gulín, and Carmen Bustamante. The idea of a new opera had originally been suggested to Moreno Torroba by Domingo. ''El poeta'' would be the 89-year-old composer's last major work for the stage.

Background

Federico Moreno Torroba was one of the most prolific composers of Spanish zarzuelas and modern

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

music, but had only worked on

operas Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a li ...

early in his career. In 1946, he formed a traveling zarzuela company with baritone Plácido Domingo Ferrer and his wife Pepita Embil. Decades later, he was contacted by their son about a possible operatic collaboration. Moreno Torroba recalled in 1980: "Three years ago, in Bilbao, I met our great tenor

, whom I had not seen since he was three years old. I was great friends with his parents, Pepita Embil and Plácido Domingo, Sr., and our great singer suggested that I write an opera." Domingo encouraged the composer to write an opera about Spanish painter

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish Romanticism, romantic painter and Printmaking, printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hi ...

. Moreno Torroba, however, felt that the life of nineteenth-century poet José de Espronceda would be a better operatic topic. They both agreed that José Méndez Herrera, whom Moreno Torroba praised for his "magnificent poetic spirit," should write the libretto.

Performance history

''El poeta'' received its premiere on 19 June 1980 at Madrid's Teatro de la Zarzuela, where Moreno Torroba had worked on many previous occasions. It was performed as part of the theater's seventeenth Festival of Opera. The music was largely praised and the composer and Domingo, as the title character, received large ovations. Critics, however, almost universally panned the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

as inferior. Domingo also believed the libretto to be "weak and superficial" and regretted that it failed to convey the real Espronceda's fascinating and profound life. Although the opera was well received by the public, after its initial run of three performances, it was not revived.

Roles

Synopsis

José de Espronceda is a Romantic poet, who is exiled from Spain for his liberal beliefs and intrigues against

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

. While abroad he falls in love with Teresa Mancha, but Carmen Osorio is also in love with him. After he rejects Carmen on three occasions, she murders her rival Teresa.

Musical analysis

In ''El poeta'', Moreno Torroba departed from his usual zarzuela style of composition. Unlike in zarzuelas, he wrote the opera as a

through-composed In the theory of musical form, through-composed music is a continuous, non- sectional, and non- repetitive piece of music. The term is typically used to describe songs, but can also apply to instrumental music. While most musical forms such as te ...

piece without the interruptions of dialogue or distinct arias, duets, and ensembles. It was also more dissonant than typical of his style. American composer

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

, in particular, influenced Moreno Torroba in this opera. Spanish critic Antonio Fernández-Cid remarked on the noticeable influences of both Gershwin and

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...

in the opera's score and praised the composer for his subtle "tone color, harmony, structure, and use of solos and ''tuttis''." Other critics found a similarity with the music of

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, libretto, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American ...

and

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

. Some reviews commented especially on Moreno Torroba's old-fashioned style of composing. The critic for '' Opera News'' claimed that the score exhibited an "arch-romanticism out of date for three or four generations." At the same time, she noted: "Vocal lines were full of melody and eminently singable, pacing was varied and orchestration thoroughly professional." Speight Jenkins, writing in ''

Musical America ''Musical America'' is the oldest American magazine on classical music, first appearing in 1898 in print and in 1999 online magazine, online, at musicalamerica.com. It is published by Performing Arts Resources, LLC, of East Windsor, New Jersey. ...

'', stressed similar points. He wrote: "Moreno Torroba's music suggested a time warp: the composer seemed to be creating as Giordano might have and in no case were there harmonies which suggested the music of this century. The surprise was the honesty of the writing; most ' romantic' music composed in 1980 suggests a febrile Puccini, with the vivid color removed. On first hearing, Moreno Torroba's work sounded real and passionate, with the melodies effective though not quite overwhelming enough."

Recordings

No officially released recordings of ''El poeta'' exist. However, the world premiere performance of the opera was televised.

References

Notes Cited Sources * * * * Other sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poeta, El Operas Spanish-language operas 1980 operas Operas based on real people Operas set in the 16th century Cultural depictions of poets Cultural depictions of Spanish people Operas set in Spain