Mazatlan premire of opera wins accolades

 

newsroom.ucla.edu

The premiere of the grand opera “La Paloma y el Ruiseñor” (“The Dove and the Nightingale”) on Nov. 14 at the Teatro Angela Peralta in Mazatlán, Mexico, prompted ovations as well as awards for the work’s creators. The opera was composed by Roger Bourland, UCLA professor emeritus of music, with libretto by UCLA musicology professor Mitchell Morris.

The opera centers around the life of 19th-Century operatic soprano Angela Peralta, with the second act taking place in historic Mazatlán, where the legend of Peralta as the "Mexican nightingale" was forged following her tragic death from yellow fever.

Local reviews of the opera were enthusiastic, remarking on the performances as well as the costumes and scenery. Noted the news outlet RN Noticias, “Certainly in the first half of the show, one of the elements that stood out were the beautiful costumes inspired by the fashion of the 19th century, which shone in all its glory at the time the ship sighted the beaches of Mazatlán.”

Reviewers also enjoyed the legend of their hometown diva who, as Ángel Vargas of La Jornada pointed out, was known for her tumultuous love life: “It is, as with any opera, a story of love, passion, betrayal, deception and greed -- with the attraction that it is based on the real life of the singer, whose romantic relationships were stormy. To start, her first marriage to her cousin Eugenio Velázquez Castera de la Cadena was unhappy due to his mental illness. Then [there was] the scandal caused in Mexican society by her romance with the lawyer and national promoter, Julian Montiel y Duarte.”

The staging of “La Paloma y el Ruiseñor” was accomplished in collaboration with many artists and performers in Mazatlán, including the Symphony Orchestra Mazatlan, which was directed by Scott Dunn, assistant director of the L.A. Philharmonic Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Maestro Ramón Gómez Polo Rico and Raúl González, director of the Institute of Culture of Mazatlan, provided stage direction. Students in the School of Singing of Mazatlán and Guillermo Sarabia Choir performed, under the direction of Maestro Enrique Patrón de Rueda and Martha Felix. Also performing was the Professional School of Dance, directed by Claudia Lavista and Victor Ruiz, and the Folkloric Ballet of Mazatlán Cultural Institute, directed by Javier Arcadia.

Placido Domingo Jr. adapted the text from English to Spanish. The opera was originally commissioned by L.A.'s Pacific Serenades chamber music ensemble. Bourland and Mitchell further developed it in collaboration with voice and opera students in the UCLA Opera Workshop, who performed it in May 2013.

Mazatlán Mayor Alcalde Carlos Felton unveiled two plaques — one of which will remain on permanent display at the Teatro Angela Peralta — in recognition of “those who made possible the rescue of the last days of the diva.” He commended Bourland and Morris for their contributions to the cultural life of Mazatlán. Their efforts, and those of their counterparts in Mexico, are an example of the types of collaborations being sought by UCLA’s Center for Mexican Studies through its newly forged partnership with the Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles.

Learn more about the opera in Bourland's blog: La Paloma y el Ruiseñor premieres at the Teatro Angela Peralta in Mazatlán; Background of “La Paloma y el Ruiseñor.

The Mexican 'Nightingale' reborn : Local resident writes Angela Peralta opera for Mazatlan stage

lossaltosonline.com

ednesday, 05 November 2014 00:07

Written by - Special to the Town Crier

Courtesy of Roger Bourland 
The opera composed by Los Altos resident Roger Bourland is scheduled to premiere Nov. 14 and 15 in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Thanks to Los Altos resident and composer Roger Bourland, the renowned 19th-century Mexican opera singer Angela Peralta will finally star at her eponymous theater in Mazatlan, Mexico, an opportunity she missed more than 130 years ago when she died of yellow fever.

An ensemble is scheduled to perform Bourland’s first grand opera, “The Dove and the Nightingale,” Nov. 14 and 15.

Bourland, who moved to Los Altos from Los Angeles three years ago with his husband, two dogs and two African gray parrots, has an extensive musical background. He previously taught at UCLA and has written many choral, chamber and orchestral works.

“The Dove and the Nightingale” (performed in Mazatlan in Spanish as “La Paloma y el Ruisenor”) is the story of Peralta’s final days in Mazatlan before her death, a whirlwind of opera tours, an illicit affair and jealous run-ins with her lover’s ex-wife.

Peralta, according to Bourland, “wanted to bring opera to her people in Mexico.” She led her opera company throughout Mexico, even performing in sand pits.

But Peralta never made it to the Mazatlan stage. Yellow fever, a random tragedy born in Panama’s mosquito-infested bilge water where Peralta’s boat docked, killed her and most of her troupe.

The story is not all tragic, though: On her death bed, Peralta finally marries the love of her life.

And with November’s performances, “she will finally sing in the (Angela Peralta) theater,” Bourland said.

An opera ‘for the people’

The opera has been a long time coming, and not just for Peralta. Bourland first stumbled on her story in 2003 on a trip to Mazatlan. He thought the story perfect fodder for opera.

“(The story is) quite beautiful and very accessible,” said Scott Dunn, orchestral conductor for the opera.

Bourland worked five years on the piece, researching the diva’s story and writing the music. Raul Rico Gonzalez, director of performance and the art school Cultura Mazatlan, loved the work in progress and decided to produce it.

The finished product takes some creative liberties with the story and operatic conventions. For example, the character of Rosa, Peralta’s lover’s ex-wife, is entirely fictional. Bourland wanted to explain Peralta’s long-standing affair with her lover, so he created another woman, also a singer – the dove to Peralta’s nightingale.

“Many people think she’s the most interesting person,” Bourland said of Rosa.

Bourland’s creativity also extends to the music, which boasts more melody than most music in 20th- and 21st-century operas.

“I want to write music and I want you to cry, I want you to get goosebumps, I want you to laugh,” Bourland said.

“I think people will be able to come out of the theater humming some tunes,” Dunn said.

Still, Bourland knows that writing catchier music instead of dramatic songs may not sit well with critics expecting a modernist opera.

“I’m not writing it for the New York Times critic,” he said. “It’s an opera for the people. … I think the audience will love it.”

Opera by Roger Bourland to premiere in Mazatlan

Composer and musician Roger Bourland.

Professor emeritus Roger Bourland, former chair of the Department of Musicology and a renowned composer and musician who has written more than a hundred works for a wide variety of ensembles and soloists, will premiere his grand opera,  “La Paloma y el Ruiseñor,” at the Teatro Angela Peralta in Mazatlán, Mexico, on Nov. 14.

The opera centers around the life of 19th-Century operatic soprano Angela Peralto, who was known as the “Mexican nightingale.” Bourland composed the piece in collaboration with UCLA musicology professor Mitchell Morris, who wrote the libretto. Originally entitled “Duarte’s Love Songs,” the opera was originally commissioned and performed in Los Angeles by the Pacific Serenades chamber music ensemble. It was further developed and performed in May 2013, by voice and opera students in the UCLA Opera Workshop. In the audience for that performance was Raúl Rico González, director of the Instituto de Cultura, Turismo y Arte de Mazatlán, who invited Bourland to stage the opera in Mazatlán.

The Spanish translation of “La Paloma y el Ruiseñor” to be performed in Mexico was by Placido Domingo, Jr. It will be directed by Scott Dunn, associate director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.