Opera in Venezuela

Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex, where Venezuelan operas are typically performed today.

In Venezuela, since the opening of the Teatro Caracas and, earlier, the Teatro Maderero (then called Teatro de la Zarzuela), there whas been a great lyrical tradition ranging from serious opera to operetta, zarzuela, and Spanish musical reviews.

The first Venezuelan opera was El maestro Rufo Zapatero an opera buffa composed in 1848 by José María Osorio.^[1] Virginia by José Ángel Montero (sometimes incorrectly called the first Venezuelan opera) debuted in 1877, under the auspices of Antonio Guzmán Blanco. Another major early Venezuelan opera composer was Reynaldo Hahn, who was greatly influenced by his teacher Massenet. He greatly expanded the genre of French operetta, of which Ciboulette was his most famous work; he also composed operas.^[2]

Before the foregoing had occurred, José María Osorio had composed early zarzuelas. The first Venezuelan zarzuela to debut, however, was José Ángel Montero's Los alemanes en Italia, in the 1860s. Montero also debuted the zarzuelas El Cumpleaños de Leonor, El Charlatán Mudo, La Modista, and many others. Another major zarzuela composer was Pedro Elías Gutiérrez, who used Venezuelan rhythms in his works. His most important work was perhaps Alma Llanera, with lyrics by Rafael Bolívar Coronado.

In the 20th century, Caracas had a rich cultural tradition. Teatro Maderero, Teatro Caracas, and the more modern Teatro Nacional de Caracas and Teatro Municipal de Caracas competed for the public's attention. The Teatro Maderero and Teatro Caracas, after the construction of the latter two, played a secondary role and were nearly always used for popular musical acts, such as reviews and fandango. The Teatro Nacional was the theater for the country's finest zarzuela, while the Municipal typically staged Italian, German and Spanish works, which were more serious.

In contemporary Venezuela, there are great lyrical composers, including María Luisa Escobar, whose works include Kanaime, Orquídeas Azules, and Princesa Girasol. Other important composers include Hector Pellegatti (author of the verismo opera El Negro Miguel with lyrics by Pedro Blanco Vilariño)^[3], Alexis Rago (author of El Páramo, Miranda, and Froilán el Infausto)^[4], and Federico Ruíz (author of the famous opera buffa Los Martirios de Colón, with a libretto by Aquiles Nazoa).^[5] Today Venezuelan operas are typically held in the Teatro Teresa Carreño.

See also

Opera in Latin America

References

1. ^ http://www.pdvsa.com/index.php?tpl=interface.sp/design/readmenu_estancia.tpl.html&newsid_obj_id=6052&newsid_temas=273
2. ^ http://www.epdlp.com/compclasico.php?id=1025
3. ^ http://www.el-carabobeno.com/p_pag_hcar.aspx?id=c180904-02
4. ^ http://www.caronimusic.com/pagesEspagnol/alexis.php?idsession=&pagec=
5. ^ http://www.ministeriodelacultura.gob.ve/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2247&Itemid=134