Ópera en minúscula presents Domitila, an Epistolary Drama Between a Marchioness and a King
The Teatro Leal will host this work by Brazilian João Guilherme Ripper on Saturday
Ópera en minúscula makes its debut at the Teatro Leal in Laguna this Saturday (13th) at 19:30. This epistolary opera, featuring soprano Maria Sole Gallevi, is available with tickets priced at 10 euros. Additionally, on Thursday (11th) at 19:00, there will be a meeting with composer João Guilherme Ripper at the same theatre, with free entry until full capacity is reached.
About Domitila
Domitila is a chamber opera with music and text by Guilherme Ripper, inspired by the correspondence between King Pedro I of Brazil and IV of Portugal and Domitila de Castro Canto e Melo, the Marchioness of Santos. Premiered in Rio de Janeiro in 2000, the libretto draws inspiration from this true story set in the 1820s: the impossible relationship between King Pedro I and the Marchioness Domitila de Castro.
In the guise of a monologue, Domitila recounts her thwarted romance as she reads the exchanged letters, thereby creating a polyphony of characters. The burden they both bear is represented by being ensnared in strings, as if they were a single entity with different appearances striving to find balance amid the constraints that dictate their existence. This production is presented by the Juan March Foundation, the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo in Bogotá.
Maria Sole Gallevi
Maria Sole Gallevi is an Italian soprano based in São Paulo, Brazil. Recognised in various competitions in this South American country, she won the Opera Prize – La Bohème at the Maria Callas Singing Competition, among others. In 2021, she participated in the Neapolitan songs project A caminho do interior (On the way to the interior), sponsored by the Italian Consulate in São Paulo, and performed at the Ibirapuera Auditorium in the concert Uma viagem entre Itália e Brasil (A journey between Italy and Brazil), alongside the Heliópolis Symphony Orchestra from the Baccarelli Institute.
Gallevi will be joined by clarinetist Irene Martínez and cellist Esteban Jiménez. Musical direction is by Borja Mariño, who will also be at the piano; stage direction is by Nicola Beller Carbone; set design is by Carmen Castañón, with costumes by Pier Paolo Álvaro and Roger Portal, and lighting design by Pedro Chamizo.
Upcoming Events
The programme of Ópera en minúscula continues outside at the Espacio La Granja on 17th September with La Plaza, returning for a second edition of outdoor chamber opera with the performance Judgement of a Lady in Flames. This operatic creation has developed from scratch through a residency. This initiative serves as a platform to promote contemporary chamber opera in Spanish, breaking down the barriers of traditional performance spaces and offering an intimate, raw, and exciting experience for the audience.
Ópera de Tenerife is an initiative by the Cabildo Insular – through the Auditorio de Tenerife – supported by the Canarian Institute of Cultural Development of the Government of the Canary Islands and the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM) of the Spanish Government. The second edition of Ópera en minúscula is also supported by the city council of La Laguna.
