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When the curtain goes up at the Teatro das Figuras there will be seven actors on stage, three opera singers and 31 musicians, to perform this comic opera by Mozart, which, in the production directed by Paulo Matos, will have a component that is interactive with the audience. Mozart’s work focuses on the idiosyncrasies of the theatre world, including the clashes of personality between the prima donnas and the problems of funding, which, ironically, continue to be as topical as ever, an aspect that is highlighted by the director.
The rivalry between the classical soloist and the review singer, the influence the impresario brings to bear to ensure that his protégée gets the lead role, against the wishes of the company’s artistic director who defends the qualitative requirements of the production: these are the “crises” that provide the scenes in which actors, singers and musicians mingle, and the audience too who are “potential candidates to be actors in the auditions that take place on the stage.”
This comic opera, according to the director of ACTA, Luís Vicente provides a production that has the capacity to “capture the popular orientation of operatic spectacle”.
Rehearsals began in an integrated way so that everyone involved would “understand the project”. And then musicians and singers could perfect their techniques of performance while the actors concentrated on rhythm and their larynxes. In the final phase, the style of expression was perfected.
Luís Vicente explained why the company had ventured into this co-production with the Orquestra do Algarve. He said that they had the minimum they needed to implement projects that involve “more expressive resources”. This includes professional actors and musicians as well as structures.
Between the classical and the modern
The initial score of The Impresario arose from the aesthetic disagreements between Salieri and Mozart. The first proclaimed “Primo la musica dopo la parole”, which can be roughly translated as “first the music then the words”.
Mozart for his part decided to challenge these classical canons and opted for new techniques which were well received by the audiences of the time as they favoured the languages of the new nations which were being formed in Europe at the time.
In the version to be premiered in Faro the soloists are the sopranos Carla Caramujo and Lara Martins, and the tenor Fernando Guimarães, who are joined by the actors Luís Vicente, Glória Fernandes and Elisabete Martins, as well as Afonso Dias, João Jonas, Luís Miranda and Tânia Silva.
The Orquestra do Algarve will be conducted by maestro Osvaldo Ferreira and direction is by Paulo Matos.
On tour with free performances and in the open air>
The next day, 2nd June, the opera will be performed in Albufeira, to be followed by Loulé, Lagos, São Brás de Alportel, Vilamoura and Lagoa, where the amphitheatre at Sítio das Fontes, a beautiful natural setting will add a very special “dramatic touch” according to Luís Vicente.
The tour will continue in July and September in different cities, with the scenes of the production being adapted to the natural surroundings.
Returning to one of the scenes of The Impresario, the one where financial support and funding are commented on, it was pointed out that the project does not come under ACTA’s (the Algarve Theatre Company) or the Orchestra’s obligations under the support given by the Ministry of Culture.
Applying for ad hoc funding from the Institute of Arts did not work as the project was not approved, but Luís Vicente pointed out that sales of the tour performances had guaranteed 154,000 euros in a production budgeted at 240,000 euros.
The final thing to draw attention to is the decision of the local authorities who, by understanding the popular orientation of this operatic production and the influence it could have in bringing in new audiences, decided to pay for the performances which will be free for the public.
source: Observatorio do Algarve |
