2024-04-21 03:01:00
Journalist and literature professor at the Buenos Aires National School, where he graduated, Enrique García Velloso was a prolific author of comedies, sainetes and zarzuelas, of which the best known are Laucha’s marriage y Gabino the mayoral. But his beginnings as a playwright are little known: in 1895, when he was 15 years old, he wrote Chin Yonka zarzuela with an eccentric plot set to music by Zenón Rolón, a composer from Buenos Aires of African descent who was very popular at the time, today only valued by specialists.
Mix of operetta and candombe from the River Plate, that piece that brought together both artists, went on stage, revisited, in the María Guerrero room of the Cervantes National Theater. The general direction is in charge of Sebastián Irigo and the dramaturgy and musical direction are the responsibility of Fernando Albinarrate. The cast is made up of Josefina Scaglione (soprano), Nacho Pérez Cortés (tenor), Jesús Villamizar (baritone) and Tincho Lups, as the master of ceremonies. The Libertador San Martín National Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Argentine National Music Choir and the Afro-Porteño Candombe Ensemble participate in this unique experience. The costume and lighting designs belong to Sofía Di Nunzio and Gonzalo Córdova, respectively.
In the interview with Page 12Irigo and Albinarrate say that the project of revaluing the music of this work delirious and provocative It was the idea of Gonzalo Demaría, director of the Cervantes. He has long been interested in rescue from oblivion to Rolón’s work, for which he summoned specialists such as Lucio Bruno-Videla and Javier Lorenzo, who also intervene in the musical direction. “With this show “We vindicate the Afro-Argentine community,” both artists agree.
In the work of García Velloso, the figure of a japanese jack the ripper He escapes from London and travels to Argentina, ending up in the Andes Mountains. In the midst of the chase for the serial killer, transvestite characters and even a romance are filtered. The work written by Albinarrate tells how the meeting between both authors was and also provides a colorful cultural environment of that time. It also tells how the premiere was –and farewell- of that zarzuela at the Teatro de la Comedia, with its facilities largely destroyed by the enthusiastic students of Buenos Aires.
-It is striking that García Velloso, in collaboration with Mauricio Nirenstein, premiered this work at the age of 15…
Sebastian Irigo: -Yes, it is a very attractive zarzuela because it does not go towards the conventional. And it is very provocative. But the eldest mysterythe soul of our show is Zenón Rolón and his music, an inspiring revelation that is part of our cultural identity.
Fernando Albinarrate: -Yes, the interesting thing is that we are recovering a composer and music that, when performed again, is once again part of our intangible heritage. Hence the importance of this show.
S. I.: -In Buenos Aires we have a very developed musical theater, more than in the rest of South America. If we ask ourselves where this strength comes from, we now discover that it also comes from the 19th century: Rolón’s music, although forgotten, is in our cultural DNA.
-What could have been the reasons for this forgetfulness?
F. A.: -Perhaps because it has been negro. Or for having been a light, popular musician. But He was a complete composer. Trained in Europe. He made sacred music and was influenced by Wagner and Verdi. If we look at the dates, around 1850 or so the operetta begins in France, around 1870, there is Johann Strauss with The bat. And at that same time, Rolón was already composing. And here he mixed operetta with tango and candombe, due to his black roots.
S. I.: -It is exciting to see how artistic information from different parts of the globe is reaching other parts, taking invisible channels and networks.
-What are the problems posed by these shows that include theater, singers, orchestra and choir?
S. I.: -It is a captivating challenge… and we have to manage anxiety well: the most complex thing is to put everything together partially and only be able to rehearse the whole thing a week before the premiere.
–It is interesting how the show paints what was happening both on stage and in the audience…
F. A.: -Yes, because we were a cultured but also participatory audience. In that entertainment theater people moved, entered and left. That is why the choir constantly recapitulates what is happening. It is a show that provides information but in a fun way, even taking anecdotes of the time. And Rolón’s music, without a doubt, will surprise the viewer.
* Chin Yonk strikes againat the Cervantes Theater (Córdoba), April 20, 26 and 27 at 8:30 p.m.