The opera on the diabetes of Alberto García Demestres, with a script by Cristina Pavarotti and dessert of Jordi Roca, triumphs at the Ampurdés festival
Only a composer with the imagination, the passion for the opera and the sense of humor of Alberto García Demestres (Barcelona, 1960) could write a great lyrical scene, worthy of Leonard Bernstein, with a coconut and watermelon: it is called cocco and cocomero, in Italian, and is one of Sugar Blood's jewels, opera on diabetes with a libreto Pavarotti libretto and the composer himself.Its premiere, on Thursday at the Castell Festival of Peralada (Alt Empordà), in an exciting concert version in the Church of Carme, was a resounding success that had as culinary surprise a delicious dessert of Jordi Roca suitable for flavor diabetics, naturally, to coconut and watermelon.
The Straordinary Vita Di Sugar Blood is the eleventh opera by García Demestres, a composer who knows how to compose good operas in which he displays great expressive resources.Play with tradition, adapting or citing operas such as La Bohème, by Puccini, Rigoletto, Verdi, or L´elisir D´Amore, of Donizetti, something natural in an opera that dedicates to what was his friend and protector, theGreat Luciano Pavarotti;And he knows how to alternate recreational episodes with transcendent scenes in which his deep knowledge of the voice shines.
Everything in Sugar Blood has a special charm and a solidarity dimension: to raise awareness about the difficulties involved in living with diabetes, silent disease.The composer suffers, who has suffered a heart attack and stroke;That hard experience takes on impressive dramatic intensity in the coral scene Ictus Day, the most imposing of this sugar -free sweet opera in two acts, six scenes, three video tonsing and a phone call, released under the direction of the composer, which outlines magical sounds with theWhite voices, the piano - sensesional performance by Ricardo Estrada - and a sophisticated percussion.
The libretto plasma the fears and dreams of a diabetic girl, Sugar, daughter of a secret agent, James Blood, and Mara, opera singer, who faces the problems of her illness over five of her anniversaries, from 10at 14;The night he turns 13 dreams of wonderful desserts conceived for her by chef Jordi Roca, who will come true.In an imposing dramatic turn, the second act shows the teenager in the ICU of a hospital after suffering a diabetic coma from which he will leave thanks to the force of love.
The theatrical instinct, the melodic inspiration and the demanding vocal writing, always Cantabile, of the Catalan composer and tenor lead to the limit the possibilities of a chorus of white voices.The Cor Vivaldi, led by Òscar Boada, and the three girls of the choir that embody to Sugar –lisa Campos, Ariadna Ruiz and Núria Prats - on each anniversary, triumphed in the effort.The soprano Sara Blanch (Mara) also triumphed, plethoric in the agility and brightness of her acute, and the tenor Antoni Comas (Sesto, grandfather of Sugar), with a perfect technique at the service of a song of enormous expressive wealth.
The fun interventions of the actor Pere Ponce in the video tonsing that Sugar's father sends on each anniversary and the notable performances of Mireia painted and Neus Roig marked the high level of quality of a veiled stimulant in which the public could taste the very rich dessert especially.Created by Jordi Roca, by El Celler de Can Roca, which followed the enchanted opera from the front row.
The Ampurdan premiere was attendedProlific Catalan composer remains unpublished.