Opera Review: 'Luisa Fernanda'

LOS ANGELES─Concluding the 2006-2007 LA Opera season is Federico Moreno Torroba's Luisa Fernanda, by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández Shaw, the most successful librettists in the history of zarzuelas.

Sentimental or comedic in nature, zarzuela, is an operetta with Spanish rhythm, song, and dance, characterized by spoken dialogue.

Marked by its dynamic Spanish flare, Luisa Fernanda, has phenomenal arias with a Puccini-Shubertian influence. Blended in are intricate musical relationships of passionate and melodic tunes as well as an homage to Bizet's Carmen. Unlike most zarzuelas, Torroba's music adds a little drama to the mix.

Luisa Fernanda, was written in 1932 and, along with La Chulapona (1934), is one of Torroba's most successful works, and one of the most lasting Spanish works of the 1920's and 30's.

The opera is set in 1868, during the reign of Queen Isabel II of Spain, a time when revolutionary republicans threatened the monarchy.

It involves a love triangle between Luisa Fernanda (Yali-Marie Williams), her fiancée Colonel Javier Moreno (Antonio Gandía), and a rich landowner, Vidal Hernando (Plácido Domingo), who came to Madrid in search of a wife.

The philanderer Javier is enticed by the scheming wealthy widow, Duchess Carolina (Elena de la Merced) into becoming a monarchist, while Vidal, in order to win Luisa's heart, declares himself a republican.

Solid performances by all

Making her LA Opera debut at the opening night's performance is soprano, Yali-Marie Williams, a past Operalia winner. Williams demonstrated her wide vocal range, and delivered a superb performance, especially in the duet, Callate Corazón, with Antonio Gandía.

Tenor Gandía plays the role of the very charming Javier and is the award recipient of the Best Zarzuela Performer at the 2001 Operalia international competition, and the first prize winner for Best Tenor and Best Spanish Performer at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona. His rendition of De Este Apacible Rincón de Madrid is exceptionally beautiful.

Excelling at all levels in this zarzuela is the charismatic and world renowned Plácido Domingo. He delivered a powerful and emotionally intense rendition of the desperately in love Vidal, receiving a boisterous applause for his interpretation of Por El Amor De Una Mujer. He was simply electrifying and brought down the house with a standing ovation.

Luisa Fernanda is close to Placido Domingo's heart

Domingo's parents, a baritone father and soprano mother, met at Torroba's company in Spain. They performed Luisa Fernanda's leading roles and, after professing their love on stage daily for three months, they fell in love and married. Later, the Domingos moved to Mexico where they opened their own zarzuela company, the place where the baritone Plácido Domingo made his debut as tenor, in Luisa Fernanda's role of Javier.

Conducting the orchestra was the multiple awards recipient, and celebrated zarzuela specialist, Miguel Roa.

The zarzuela is directed by the acclaimed Emilio Sagi, who made his Los Angeles Opera's debut in 1994 with El Gato Montes and returned in 2004 for Carmen. Sagi created this same Luisa Fernanda production for Milan's La Scala in 2003.

"I have always planned for the LA Opera to include zarzuelas in its repertoire, introducing this wonderful art form to new audiences here in Los Angeles," says Plácido Domingo.

"Zarzuela, the music of my native Spanish heritage, is full of so many wonderfully entertaining works, and I am delighted that we are now presenting the company premiere of one of the most beautiful of them all, Luisa Fernanda," explains Domingo.