Alfredo Arias talks about Marguerite Duras, imaginary worlds and fixed ideas

Igor Stravinsky It is key in Argentine culture. He visited the country in the mid-thirties at the invitation of Victoria OcampoAnd he gave the opera Persephone in it Colon Theatre. In fact, Victoria participated in the ceremony and is interested in the recitation. with text Andre is goodThe opera was an exploration of Greek hell, when Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and the myth led to the origin of the seasons.

If by that time Stravinsky was a world-famous personality, then fifteen years later he had legendary status. In 1951, he made his debut in the Venice – The city where he was going to die – Rake race (Also known as “advancement” or “apprenticeship” for beginners). This opera closed Neoclassical period Stravinsky, including Persephone It was one of the most transcendental works. as a kind of return to infinity, Rake race It is an opera in three acts and an epilogue, which has a libretto by WH Auden And Chester Colemanwhich, in turn, was inspired by nine engravings by William Hogarth.

Rake race It takes on a classic theme of Western culture, such as the encounter with Satan. The three heroes have allegorical names: Tom Rackwell – “Good liberated” -, Ann Truelove – “True Love” – ​​and Nick Shadow – “the shadow” -. Tom is a young provincial who, after declining a job offer, unexpectedly receives the news that his uncle in London has left him sole heir to a great fortune. He was about to marry Anne, but the notice – given to him by Shadow – postpones the engagement. Tom and Shadow set out together on the road to the city: the journey begins full of lust, and ends in a hell of banality and boredom. Rake race It’s a story with morals: “Satan finds work for idle hearts.”

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The opera premiered at colon in 1959 – just eight years after its premiere in Venice – and the last in 2001. Twenty-two years after the last time, Rake race He returns to the Teatro Colón for four performances, under the musical direction of Charles Dutoit. The events are Tuesday July 18th at 8:00 PM, Thursday 20th at 8:00 PM, Sunday 23rd at 5:00 PM, and Tuesday 25th at 8:00 PM.

As a noteworthy fact, the 2023 version will have the same stage output as the 2001 version: Alfredo Arias. A tireless cultural figure, he has been living in France for five decades and throughout his career he has been involved in major stages such as Bastille Operahe Theater du Châteletthe Milano scalenaturally Colon Theatrehe Madrid Zarzuela Theatre.

A few days after the premiere, Arias is constantly rehearsing for the available times. “Today we do it from the 20th to the 23rd,” he says in an interview with Infobae culture“So we do security work.”

–What are the differences between the stalls, twenty years from one to the other?

“Business matures with us,” says Arias. There is no fixed idea, it is modified by our own experiences. They are like a statue that one sees moving. What I did this time was strip it. I made it less narrative. There are a number of Marguerite Duras Which was very revealing to me: “I don’t go to the opera because there are too many things between me and the music.”. It is a sample that one can get lost in behind the scenes. And I took them to their most important expressions.

–To configure scenes part of the text? Part of Hogarth’s paintings?

– I conduct myself musically. Rake race It is a finely written work. Completely closed in on itself. There are not many possibilities for interference. It is a work of exquisite craftsmanship. Stravinsky He worked as a jeweler. I worked with a visual palette for each character. The world’s most terrifying environments. The chorus is neutral in tone.

–Kowloon fans usually express themselves in love-hate terms with the stalls. Are you eager to get going? Does it worry you, does it stimulate you?

– I can say that it is a work of high musical quality and that the audience that comes with expectations will be impressed. No one will leave empty-handed. The short clips that I have been able to listen to so far are of great beauty.

* Rake race It will take place on Tuesday 18th, Thursday 20th and Tuesday 25th July at 8pm and Sunday 23rd July at 5pm. at Teatro Colon (Libertad 621, CABA).

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