(ANSAMed) - MADRID, JULY 4 - Ainandamar, meaning Fountain of
Tears, is the Moorish name for the place near Granada where poet
Federico Garcia Lorca was assassinated one month before the
beginning of the Spanish Civil War by pro-Franco falangists on
August 19, 1936, at dawn.
Now the poet's words live again in the form of an opera, titled Ainandamar, by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov, 52. It will be performed at the Teatro Real, beginning July 8, in a 10 show run, directed by Peter Sellars.
Golijov grew up in an Eastern European Jewish household in La Plata, Argentina, where he was surrounded by classical chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, and Astor Piazzolla's reinterpretations of the tango. In Ainandamar, he has synthesized these various musical influences, adding flamenco, 20th century Modernism and contemporary pop music, to reflect Lorca's vision, which had its roots in Andalusian 15th century cosmpolitanism, with its promise of tolerance and coexistence among various faiths.
The opera tells the story of Lorca's life through the memories of his best friend and greatest interpreter, Margarita Xiurgu, who was banned by Franco and died in exile in Montevideo in 1969. She will be played alternately by actress Nuria Espert, who will recite 10 poems from El Divan de Tamarit, Lorca's homage to Granada's Arab poets, and by soprano Jessica Rivera.
American mezzo soprano Kelley O'Connor will play Lorca. ''The power of Garcia Lorca belongs not only to Spain but to the entire world,'' director Peter Sellars told reporters.
(ANSAMed).
Now the poet's words live again in the form of an opera, titled Ainandamar, by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov, 52. It will be performed at the Teatro Real, beginning July 8, in a 10 show run, directed by Peter Sellars.
Golijov grew up in an Eastern European Jewish household in La Plata, Argentina, where he was surrounded by classical chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, and Astor Piazzolla's reinterpretations of the tango. In Ainandamar, he has synthesized these various musical influences, adding flamenco, 20th century Modernism and contemporary pop music, to reflect Lorca's vision, which had its roots in Andalusian 15th century cosmpolitanism, with its promise of tolerance and coexistence among various faiths.
The opera tells the story of Lorca's life through the memories of his best friend and greatest interpreter, Margarita Xiurgu, who was banned by Franco and died in exile in Montevideo in 1969. She will be played alternately by actress Nuria Espert, who will recite 10 poems from El Divan de Tamarit, Lorca's homage to Granada's Arab poets, and by soprano Jessica Rivera.
American mezzo soprano Kelley O'Connor will play Lorca. ''The power of Garcia Lorca belongs not only to Spain but to the entire world,'' director Peter Sellars told reporters.
(ANSAMed).
