Les Arts brings together the first figures of Spanish musical theater for 'El gato montés', by Manuel Penella

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will premiere on October 30th 'The Wildcat', by Manuel Penella, an opera in three acts with a book by the composer, which on February 22nd will celebrate 100 years of its first performance at the Principal Theater of Valencia.

“An anniversary that - as Mayor Davide Livermore has remembered - Les Arts commemorates in the second program of the 2016-2017 Season, in its commitment, as a public theatre, the history of this territory.”

For Davide Livermore, 'The Wildcat' is "more than a famous pasdoble, which has connected and recognized the majority of spectators who come to our theater. Manuel Penella is going to leave a magnificent verista opera, in Spanish, full of fatalism and sensuality. A story with a love triangle iconic: a bandit, a gypsy and a bullfighter whose fame will transcend borders to arrive on Broadway in the 20s.

Reconeguts experts from the Spanish musical theater are reunited for this title. Óliver Díaz, current owner of the Zarzuela theater, assumes the musical direction of a production that he will direct in its second premiere in 2012 in Madrid. The master from Oviedo bids for his place on the Les Arts podium after his first contact last season with the Valencian Community Orchestra in the ballet 'El Quixot', by Ludwig Minkus, performed by the National Dance Company.

The director from Oviedo considers Penella's opera as "one of the crowning works of Spanish poetry, which marks what could have followed the future of Spanish lyrical theatre. It is an opera full of its time, with clear Puccinian influences and a resounding orchestration and at the same time subtil."

José Carlos Plaza, three-time winner of the National Theater Prize and one of the greatest figures of the performing arts in Spain, presents his first muntatge to Les Arts, for which he has completed both scenography and lighting by Paco Leal, costumes by Pedro Moreno and choreography by Cristina Hoyos.

Having just broken down the details of the muntatge, the theater director has made a special mention of his retrobament with the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana, where he will perform any of the performances of Monteverdi's “Orfeu”, one of his first forays into opera, in addition to praising the work of the Escolania de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats.

“In this we discover one of the great works of Spanish drama, with great depth in the themes it addresses: the passió per damunt of the raó, social injustice, the tract of the gypsy ethnic group, and the gift with an object of violence and maltreatment,” the theater director explained.

The posada en scene by José Carlos Plaza takes all the superficial and folkloric and includes the images of the harshest and driest Spain, and is potentially a poble manipulated by its own lack of culture. In this sense, the director has also valued Cristina Hoyos' contribution to the muntatge, which included two ballet numbers in the interludes to the sound of Soleá and the Sevillanes del Carrer.

Outstanding singers of the Spanish musical genre make up the distribution. The Catalan baritone Àngel Òdena performs the bandit Juanillo “El gato montés”, a role that won the Campoamor lyric prize in 2012.

Andeka Gorrotxategi embodies his opponent in the love triangle, the bullfighter Rafael. The Basque singer is the revelation tenor of the moment, with a brilliant international career since his debut with this production of “El gato montés” in 2012.

Next door is the emerging soprano Maribel Ortega, who brings Soleá to life. The diva of Jerez is one of the new promises of the lyric, who will return to Les Arts at the end to embody Elena in the last performance of “I vespri siciliani”.

The distribution also included two Valencian mezzo-sopranos with international careers and essential in the history of the Palau de les Arts. Cristina Faus (Gitana), who the public of the arts center will remember for her seues interventions in 'La Cenerentola', 'L'arbore di Diana', 'Otello' and 'Maror'. I Marina Rodríguez-Cusì (Frasquita), who since the inaugural concerts in 2005 is a regular presence at the Valencian opera with papers in 'La Belle et la Bête', 'Madama Butterfly', 'Philistaei a Jonatha dispersi', 'Thaïs' and 'Il barbiere di Siviglia'.

Another Spanish interpreter present in the major capitals of the opera circuit, the short Miguel Ángel Zapater (Padre Antón) is the protagonist.

In addition to the premiere of this day, October 30, Les Arts has more performances of this opera by Manuel Penella on November 1, 3 and 5. The import of the locations oscillates between 7 and 50 euros, with an intermediate price of 40, 28, 20 and 15 euros.

In memoriam Alfredo Brotons

Today, Davide Livermore has announced that the cultural enclave will dedicate these performances of 'The Wildcat' to the memory of the critic Alfredo Brotons, who died this past summer.

“We at Les Arts believe that this 'wildcat', which is about to complete 100 years, is the most just tribute to an essential figure in the dissemination of musical culture in this territory”, the mayor declared.