‘Marina’: the opera that did not want to be a zarzuela returns with luster | Culture

Marine It is a faithful title in the Teatro de la Zarzuela. He has appeared on the stage of the venerable theater on up to 23 occasions, including the one that opened on Wednesday night. The last three productions are also from this 21st century. It may seem like a paradox for a lyrical work that was born as a zarzuela in 1855, but in 1871 it had already become an opera and was presented as such at the Teatro Real, trying to make a crack in the closed Italianism of the royal theater. Its author, Emilio Arrieta (1821-1894), was one of the composers with the best musical and lyrical training in the Spain of his time, that of Romanticism, and his Marine It is considered one of the milestones of Spanish romanticism.

Marinedespite its undeniable musical beauty and the composer’s technical mastery, it still suffers from period conventions that make any update difficult. For this reason, Bárbara Lluch’s reading from a stage direction that is subtle and ambitious at the same time has much merit. The love story between Marina and Jorge and the subsequent misunderstandings in which they become entangled for too long for the simplicity of the adventure, Lluch sees them as a portrait of the “insecurities, complexes and uncertainty” of a very young and immature couple. , despite the waste of emotionality and the resulting suffering. For this reading, Lluch has a strong complicity with the singers who star in this production. Especially the soprano Sabina Puértolas (I refer to the first cast, but I imagine that the second will do the same), makes a display of youthful naivety that clarifies the stage director’s point of view. Regarding his partner, the tenor Ismael Jordi, although he handles the same coordinates, the role of a stiff and falsely self-confident character has less nuances than Marina. In any case, this vision of the couple, even subtle, is saving for the production; It becomes very heavy for so much time of suffering and burden due to a simple misunderstanding.

The rest of the production, theatrically speaking, is conventional, but healthily conventional. There is a fishing village (surprisingly it is Lloret de Mar), very well drawn scenically by Daniel Bianco, some secondary characters and a chorus that are well moved, when they dance they do it well without clashing with the theatricality, Albert Faura’s lighting allows the story to be read. and recreates the different atmospheres well, Sabina Atlanta’s costumes are largely appropriate and Pedro Chamizo’s video projections spatialize well the always complicated scenic box of the Teatro de la Zarzuela.

Of course, the balanced and friendly tone of the staging also has its support in the supporting cast, especially the character of Roque, perfectly played by a veteran like Juan Jesús Rodríguez; but Rubén Amoreti performs well in the thankless role of Pascual, the one who wants to marry Marina taking advantage of the sentimental mess in which the couple is about to be shipwrecked.

In short, it is an elegant and intelligent production that seeks and manages to tell the story without going off the rails of prudence that always prevails at the Teatro de la Zarzuela.

But, despite the effort made by the entire artistic team, Marine It is still hampered by difficulties of conception, which have nothing to do with the constant dilemma of whether it is better as a zarzuela or as an opera. Its first librettist, Francisco Camprodón, was blamed for limitations in literary dressing this story. Current criticism qualifies these limitations. After all, Camprodón, a man of his time, aligns himself with his contemporary librettists, those of the first Verdi, for example. The public of the period asked for that and they gave it to them.

But there are nuances, since we quote Verdi, there was a historical drive in the Italian that provided a tension that is missing in the Hispanics of the period. This Marine It happens in a town without history and without context, if they suffer for love that is all that happens to them. But if you want to see what an effective librettist is compared to another who is not so effective, the adaptation of Marine from zarzuela to opera provides an example of a book. In the operatic version, commissioned by Miguel Ramós Carrión, after the death of Camprodón, the difference is seen, in the second act of the operatic version all the writing is by Ramos Carrión, and a substantial improvement is perceived; A libretto works well when it gets the music flowing. In the first act, the text entangles the music that has to musicalize the singables with excess melismas; In the second act by Ramos Carrión the music is naturally syllabic, everything is better understood and the rhythm of the text and the music fit together appropriately. Fortunately, in the third act, still by Camprodón but with interventions by Ramos Carrión, are the most popular pages of the piece, the famous “A drink, a drink and hurry…”, or Roque’s couplets, as well as some choruses in which Arrieta demonstrates a solvency that was unusual in the Spain of that time, with the exception of Barbieri.

It can be summarized by saying that Marine It is a classic of Spanish romanticism and the meager history of our poetry, but its updating becomes complicated for those not familiar with lyrical theater, those who are moved, almost by system, with the high-pitched endings and major cadences.

Fortunately, the public that faithfully goes to “their” Teatro de la Zarzuela looks for this and finds it, and generally well done.

Finally, there remains the judgment of the musical part of the production. Judgment that is globally favorable. The leading couple, already mentioned for the theatrical part, have enough material to sustain roles that are not at all simple, roles with the texture of demanding operas. Sabina Puértolas approaches her repertoire of high notes and her moments of flourish with sufficiency, perhaps a little colder in the first moments, when the voice has not yet fully warmed up, but in general very well. If we add the excellent theatrical performance already mentioned, we find an outstanding performance. Ismael Jordi, in the role of Jorge, also has a splendid vocal performance and there are many complicated moments, with a romantic tenor without fear of heights. As for Juan Jesús Rodríguez, like the misogynist and talkative Roque, he sings and acts with the confidence of the veteran who plays the role of a veteran. In general, we are faced with a cast that is very well chosen and better prepared, theatrically and vocally. And finally, there remains the sound backbone, the orchestra, the choir and the musical director, José Miguel Pérez-Sierra. Confident and with authority, Pérez-Sierra excellently orchestrates a complex and extensive ensemble without apparent discouragement. The music fits admirably from pit to stage, giving an outstanding performance to the sound block of the production.