Luisa Fernanda: a Zarzuela

one of my most cherished gifts this year was a ticket to see a zarzuela given by a dear friend, L.  a zarzuela is "a spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes".  since there are a lot of Spanish influences in Gib, the zarzuela continues to be a beloved form of entertainment by the older generations of Gibraltarians.

zarzuela spread to the Spanish colonies, including the Philippines (although we call it "sarswela") and i once watched one when i was still in uni.  i love cultural shows such as these because not only do they speak so much of a particular people and their way of life but also i get to see the real thing! (one that's entirely spanish!)

Luisa Fernanda is a love triangle in three acts composed by Federico Torroba (1932) set in 1868 under the rule of Queen Isabel II.  as most operettas at that time, it also fosters "a tradition of pure and popular nationalism" with a little splash of comic relief.  

since then, Luisa Fernanda has been staged a LOT of times and the most popular selection was sung by none other than Placido Domingo (baritone) as the main character, Vidal Hernando (the guy below).

the whole production (including the orchestra below) was presented by the El Teatro Lirico Andaluz, an opera company based in Malaga, Spain.  this was then brought to Gib audiences as part of the Gibraltar Spring Festival 2012 by Santos Productions, a local outfit.

the orchestra was conducted by a very young maestro!

i am fascinated by this guy (below).  he had like 20 instruments, small and big, and he was either constantly banging or tinkling with one or all of them :) he does a good job of it though :)

 remember when i told you the zarzuela is popular among the older generations of Gibraltarians?  me and my friend L were with her mom-in-law, E, and we were the only ones representing the 30's bracket :)  the rest were mature lovely ladies and/or gents :)

here's a little video i captured just to let you have an idea how wonderful the singing and the whole experience really was for me :)  here, Luisa Fernanda is singing her love for Javier, a young soldier. Vidal, on the other hand is a rich landowner who loves Luisa Fernanda.

enjoy your weekend everyone!