Fernanda FAQs — Dane Suarez
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This November, OperaDelaware presents its first Spanish-language zarzuela. Fernanda, an intimate chamber version of Federico Moreno Torroba’s Luisa Fernanda, is a story of love, flirtation, jealousy, and second chances, with two performances only at the OperaDelaware Studios on November 13 and 15.
Because sometimes the love we thought we left behind is the one we never stopped loving.
What is zarzuela?
Zarzuela is Spain's own tradition of musical theater, a form that moves between sung numbers and spoken dialogue. It takes its name from the Palacio de la Zarzuela, the royal hunting lodge outside Madrid where these entertainments were first performed for the Spanish court in the seventeenth century, and over the following centuries it grew into one of Spain's most popular art forms.
Luisa Fernanda premiered at Madrid's Teatro Calderón in 1932 and is considered the final great flowering of the genre. Moreno Torroba's score, set to a libretto by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández-Shaw, remains one of the most beloved in the Spanish repertoire.
What's it about?
The opera is set in Madrid in 1868, a year of political unrest that ended with the overthrow of Queen Isabel II. Fernanda, an innkeeper's daughter, is engaged to Javier, whose ambition is pulling him away from her. When Javier is drawn to Carolina, a duchess loyal to the crown, Fernanda turns to Vidal, a wealthy landowner who has fallen in love with her. As the city divides, so does Fernanda's heart, and the story builds toward a final choice from Vidal that we will leave for you to discover in the theater.
Who's in it?
Gina Perregrino sings Fernanda, with Gerard Moon as Vidal, Dane Suarez as Javier, and Emily Margevich as Carolina. In place of the original’s spoken dialogue, our version is guided by narration from Robin Martínez of Máxima Radio, and violinist Eliezer Gutman joins the ensemble. Malena Dayen directs, and Julian Grabarek leads from the piano as music director. Fernanda is adapted by Jorge Parodi and produced in partnership with Opera Hispanica.
Why it matters
Bringing zarzuela to the Studios is a first in OperaDelaware's history. It is a chance to experience a cherished part of Spanish musical tradition on our stage, and it is an ideal introduction: a one-hour love story, sung in Spanish with English and Spanish supertitles, in a room where you are close enough to see every glance.
Before each performance, join us for a free Chamber Chat in the Presser Black Box Theater, and let our guest speakers take you behind the music and inside the production. Chamber Chats are free and open to the public — no performance ticket required, although we hope you'll decide to stay!
Dr. Chad Gasta of the University of Delaware on Friday, November 13 at 6:45 PM
General Director Eric Einhorn on Sunday, November 15 at 1:15 PM