DRAO Producciones and the Compañía Clásicos de la Lírica will present a new edition of The Magic of Zarzuela, a season that has taken a step forward and will be held at the UMusic Hotel Teatro Albéniz. Three major titles in the Madrid repertoire can be seen from 16 June to 8 July: Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente, La del Manojo de Rosas and La Revoltosa.
Under the slogan of Emotion as ever, now at the Albéniz, this initiative continues its path, bringing the audience closer to the living essence of the Spanish lyrical genre, uniting fans of zarzuela, theatre and musicals. The audience will be able to enjoy the freshness and hustle and bustle of summer in Madrid in Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente, the traditional yet contemporary nature of La del manojo de rosas and the vibrant spontaneity of the courtyard in La Revoltosa. Three stories, three prints, three ways of understanding the same tradition that continues to move generation after generation.
The concert series begins with the performance of Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente, a zarzuela in one act with libretto by Miguel Ramos Carrión and music by Federico Chueca. It features Asia, an affected girl, and her mother, Doña Simona, who have moved to Madrid, where they lead a miserable life, owing money even to their landlord. A letter from her uncle advises them to return to the village (Valdepatata), where a cousin really wants to marry Asia. However, she dreams of Serafín, son of a former minister.
It will then be the turn of La del Manojo de Rosas. Premièred in Madrid in 1934, the libretto was written by Francisco Ramos de Castro and Anselmo Cuadrado Carreño and is considered to be one of the most emblematic zarzuela productions thanks to its combination of comedy, romance, social criticism and the beauty of its music. In Plaza Delquevenga in 1930's Madrid, there is a bar, a garage and a florist’s called “El Manojo de Rosas”. Ascensión, a woman who has fallen into decline but is proud of her job and her working class status, works in the florist’s.
The last zarzuela to be performed will be La Revoltosa, a lyric sainete in one act with the libretto by José López Silva and Carlos Fernández Shaw, and music composed by the maestro, Ruperto Chapí. It is set in a neighbour’s courtyard inside an early 20th century Madrid corrala. There, Felipe, one of the neighbours, boasts of being the only man to resist the charms of Mari Pepa. However, he is totally in love with her.
Programme:
- 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24 and 24 June, 8pm - Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente
- From 28 June to 1 July, 8pm - La del Manojo de Rosas
- From 5 to 8 July, 8pm - La Revoltosa
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