Hidden treasures - Emilio Arrieta - Marina (1855/1871) - Selected highlights

History: In the long and difficult story that is the history of Spanish opera which a distinguished nineteenth century critic famously and rather severely declared did not exist "Marina" is already notable for being the first opera by a Spanish composer to be produced in Madrid's prestigious Teatro Real in the original language. The composer, Emilio Arrieta, was certainly born under a lucky star: after a chance meeting with Queen Isabel II, he was appointed by the latter as "maestro di canto y compositor" with a generous stipend that provided him with more than enough freedom to concentrate exclusively on composition and, in particular, operatic writing. The zarzuela grande "Marina" premiered at the Madrid Teatro del Circo on September 21, 1855. Though well-performed and already filled with many fine pages, it had an extremely lukewarm reception by both the critics and the audience. Sixteen years after its initial premiere, the tenor Enrico Tamberlick spoke to Arrieta about staging a production of "Marina" at the prestigious Teatro Real. This proposition led to a conversion of the little zarzuela into a three-act grand opera with the addition of recitative and several crucial new numbers. The premiere took place on March 16, 1871, and was an unmitigated triumph which for many critics heralded the arrival of a Spanish opera.

Narrative: There are no true hidden depths to be found in the confines of the following uncomplicated story which is somewhat similar to the straightforwardness of another, more familiar lyric opera, Bellini's "La sonnambula": the drama, set in a fishing village on the shores of the Mediterranean, tells of two young people, the orphan Marina (soprano) and the sea captain Jorge (tenor), who through a misunderstanding over a letter she treasures and a false report by the shipwright Pascual (bass), a rival suitor, are kept apart until matters are resolved by the disclosure that the letter was from her dead father. A classic operatic love triangle, then, with the usual plot devices and obligatory happy ending.

Music: Trained in Italy (in Milan, no less), Arrieta's roots are deep in the traditions of Italian opera - the richness of melodies, romantic forms, the elegance of accompaniment - all of which are treated with the utmost taste by the composer. The romantic idiom is further illuminated by Arrieta's use of native melodies and rhythms (seguidilla, habanera and tango) that help create a truly Spanish musical language. Indeed, Arrieta succeeds spectacularly in one respect that seems to be elusive even for the "maestros": he creates a genuinely attractive setting for the action; everywhere the score reflects the composer's love of the sea and his affinity with its emotional nuances. The only real problem with the work arises from the obvious contrasts that run between the original music and the new writing that is on a much grander scale, so much, in fact, that one experiences a rather disconcerting feeling that Arrieta was unsure of whether his work should be a lyric or a dramatic opera: the narrative is substantially overparted by some of the new numbers that stretch out the light story to almost impossible limits. Still, the opera's many fine pages - any of Marina's four arias, a wonderfully sustained choral opening to the new Act II; Roque's tango; most importantly, the absolutely marvelous Act III prelude (which I am posting separately) - are more than ample reasons for its revival.

Recording: Naive and Victor Pablo Perez have recorded quite a representation of the opera. The cast, headed by a youthful Bayo in the title role, is dramatically convincing with each soloist at complete ease with the zarzuela style, while the Chorus of the Tenerife Conservatory, the Tenerife Chamber Chorus and the Tenefire Symphonic Orchestra provide unbelievably strong support throughout. Sadly, Kraus' age is undeniably affecting his vocal production, though his almost extreme competence is never in question.

Marina - Maria Bayo,
Jorge - Alfredo Kraus,
Roque (baritone), Jorge's bosun - Juan Pons,
Pascual - Enrique Baquerizo,
Alberto/A sailor (bass) - Juan Jesus Rodriguez,
Teresa (soprano), Marina's friend - Encarna Santana.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• arrieta
• coloratura
• romantic
• belcanto
• classical

[bitxitou]

La música de esta obra es preciosa, en especial el trio del acto II... de todos modos me gustaría escuchar la versión original, como zarzuela en dos actos.

[LindoroRossini]

Actually, what you are hearing is, to a great extent, the original version :). The prelude, Jorge's cavatina, the quartet, Roque's tango, the finale, the Brindisi, the climatic terzet are only some of the numbers preserved from the 1855 edition, while Arrieta also added quite a bit of lovely music in 1871 (I wouldn't want to go without the choral opening to Act II). Though I would agree that the story makes much more sense in zarzuela form :).

[PiscaCPT]

Bravo! Cheers from Brazil

[sarastrone]

Ya que el autor del video de foto fija, ha intentado en algo mas de 10 minutos hacer un repaso a la Opera Marina, cortando las romanzas por donde le ha venido en gana, por lo menos incluir una muestra de todas, donde esta el duo de Marina y Pablo, yo tosco y rudo trabajador ,donde esta el duo de Jorge y Roque, se fue, se fue la ingrata, talvez esten incluidos y no me haya dado cuenta, como esta todo en Mp4. Siempre lo mismo, sopranos y tenores, los demas son relleno sin importancia.Ciao Lindoro.

[bitxitou]

Sí... pero no olvides que en la versión de 1871 Arrieta modificó TODA la orquestación.

Mi propuesta ideal:

-La versión de 1855 repetando la orquestación de 1871 y añadiendo dos números de la versión ópera que son en España muy conocidos: el dúo entre Pascual y Marina ("Yo tosco y rudo trabajador") y el preludio al tercer acto.

Por cierto... "Marina" era la zarzuela-ópera favorita de Franco, jeje.