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Love in poetry and music: Casa de la Opera, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 9.3.2009 (JSJ)

Claudia García (sop)
Sandra Pianigiani (mzs)
Matías Lechuga (tnr)
Osvaldo Tesser (actor)
Piano: Victoria Lamberti


The Casa de la Opera opened its 2009 season with “something a little different, a little unusual,” as diva Adelaida Negri, founder and director, described it in her welcome – an evening entitled “Love in poetry and music” combining love in opera with love in poetry.

Such a programme is ideally suited to the intimate “drawing room” atmosphere of the Casa de la Opera and so it proved. With arias ranging from the seductive “Habanera” from Carmen to Lohengrin’s more austere “In fernem land”, and including lesser known gems such as “Vivi ingrato” from Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux and “La roca fría del Calvario” from Serrano’s La Dolorosa, the wide selection captured some of the many guises of love.

And the young singers present were up for the challenge. Sandra Pianigiani – standing in for an indisposed Mariela Barzola – made the most of the “Habanera” and brought poignancy to La Cieca’s “Voce di donna o d’angelo” (La Gioconda). Claudia García shone in Liu’s “Tu che di gel sei cinta” (Turandot), while Matías Lechuga was an ardent Tamino in “Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön” (The Magic Flute) and a determined Lohengrin.

The Casa de la Opera was founded to provide a platform for young singers in particular, some of whom go on to become professionals, and García and Lechuga both show considerable promise (Pianigiani already being established).

Interspersed between the arias was the presentation of the poetry by local actor Osvaldo Tesser and likewise the selection from Argentine and Spanish poets covered diverse facets of love. As only an actor can Tesser teased out the nuances of the works, seemingly finding the deepest empathy with those of Argentine poet Almafuerte (Pedro Bonifacio Palacios) with their unexpected “twists”. Flowers for me? / ... / I am happy with knowing and not knowing / But if you want to have reality in your hand / I tell you, without being vain, that if you were moved by love / The flower is a flower that was destroyed in vain!

Victoria Lamberti, a Casa de la Opera regular, was an entirely satisfactory accompanist. Casa de la Opera productions take place on the second Monday of every month through December, except July.

Jonathan Spencer Jones

The Buenos Aires Casa de la opera web site is here

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