Pacific Lyric Association Presents Luisa Fernanda, Spanish Zarzuela Feb. 19-21
Love! Rivalry! Politics! Pacific Lyric Association presents Luisa Fernanda, the last of the great Spanish zarzuelas by Federico Moreno Torroba. Four fully-staged performances of the complete libretto by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernandez Shaw will take place at the 1000-seat Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, February 19-21. Traveling from Spain to conduct the orchestra is the son of the composer, Federico Moreno-Torroba Larregla. Performances will be in Spanish with English supertitles.
A zarzuela (pronounced zar zway' la) is a Spanish musical that blends the brilliance of Broadway with the passion of opera. The art form had its inception near Madrid in the 1640s. Legend says the name originates from a pavilion overgrown with blackberry bushes (zarzas) in a remote section of the city's El Prado Park, where actors gathered to present plays and entertain King Philip IV. Influenced over the centuries by Italian and French musical styles, but retaining a distinct personality, zarzuelas flourished as a popular entertainment in the 1920s and '30s.
'Unlike opera, zarzuelas are a form of populist entertainment,' explains Pacific Lyric Association artistic director, Madrid-born Carlos Oliva. 'The role of the story and dialogue is equally important to that of the singing and music - it's an early form of musical theater. It is paramount that the performers be strong actors as well as singers.'
