La vida breve

La vida breve

Manuel de Falla

La vida breve [Grabación audiovisual] D.L. 2012
1 disco (Bluray)

Conductor Lorin Maazel
Orchestra Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana
Chorus Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana
Chorus Master Francesc Perales

Salud Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
Paco Jorge de León
Grandmother María Luisa Corbacho
Uncle Salvador Felipe Bou
Carmela / First and
Third Saleswoman Sandra Ferrández
Manuel Isaac Galán
Voice from the forge Antonio Lozano
Second Saleswoman Natalia Lunar

Staged by Giancarlo del Monaco
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
HDTV 1080 / Length approx. 70'
Cat. no. A93001779

A production of UNITEL and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in co-production with CLASSICA

La vida breve", one of Manuel de Falla's most sublime creations, is perhaps the greatest opera in the entire Spanish repertoire. A kind of "tragic zarzuela", it unites a verismo atmosphere bathed in Andalusian local color and a score shimmering with iridescent shades reminiscent of French Impressionism.
Written in Madrid in 1905, it was premiered in Nice in 1913. It is the story of the poor gypsy Salud, who hopes to marry her lover Paco; he, however, is actually engaged to wed a wealthy young woman. As his wedding is about to take place, Salud bursts upon the wedding party, curses Paco, and falls dead at his feet.
Though a national monument in Spain, "La vida breve" is performed less frequently in non-Hispanic nations; to many music lovers, this recording may be the first encounter with a stage production of the work, and Giancarlo del Monaco - known for his splendid productions at the Met - makes it a memorable event. "Simply a stroke of genius", wrote Spain's Opera Viva about the staging at Valencia's Palau de les Arts "Reina Sofia". While not
rejecting the folklore aspects of the original libretto, del Monaco creates a kind of psychological chamber drama in which the heroine Salud is on stage at all times, as if witnessing her own living nightmare of blood and shame.
Del Monaco's austere, minimalist set focuses the public's attention on the music, especially on the interpretation of Lorin Maazel. National daily El Paìs hailed him as the "triunfador" of the evening, along with his "espléndida" orchestra. Lending her lustrous voice and impassioned acting to the lead role of Salud is the internationally celebrated Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domâs. She is ably supported by Jorge de León as Paco and Maria Luisa Corbacho as Grandmother. "La vida breve" - a "short life" that will live on for decades in what Spanish critics see as a standard-setting account of the work.