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'Aleluya!': Opera Southwest to perform Spanish-language version of Handel's Messiah
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You could call the holidays the land of a thousand Messiahs.
Both the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Santa Fe Symphony are doing it.
Opera Southwest will perform George Frederic Handel鈥檚 timeless classic with a twist 鈥� a Spanish libretto.
The concert is slated for Friday, Nov. 22, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
'Aleluya!': Opera Southwest to perform Spanish-language version of Handel's Messiah
The company鈥檚 recent absorption of the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus provided an incentive. Aaron Howe will serve as chorus master of the NMSC.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 doing the Messiah,鈥� said conductor and artistic director Anthony Barrese. 鈥淲hat are we going to do to make it interesting?鈥�
Barrese discovered a new Spanish translation commissioned by the Contra Costa Bach Society.
鈥淚t will keep the chorus on its toes,鈥� Barrese said.
The four soloists are all Spanish-speaking: soprano Cecilia Violetta L贸pez, mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa, tenor Dane Suarez and baritone Jean Carlos Rodriguez.
OSW has experienced success with past Spanish-language programs. 鈥淏less Me, Ultima鈥� (2018) lured enough audiences to demand an additional show, Barrese said.
鈥溾�榋orro鈥� (2022) was really well sold,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t brings in a completely different group of people 鈥� probably people for whom opera seems a bit distant.
鈥淢any people don鈥檛 realize we have supertitles,鈥� he continued. 鈥淪ince Albuquerque is a pretty equal bilingual city, this will be pretty interesting. Language was never meant to be a barrier for opera.鈥�
The alliance between Opera Southwest and the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus was borne of past collaborations, including 2014鈥檚 鈥淭he Pearl Fishers鈥� and 2015鈥檚 鈥淎ida.鈥� OSW plans to continue that partnership with a focus on major symphonic choral works with orchestra.
In May, the merged organizations will take on Giuseppe Verdi鈥檚 鈥淩equiem.鈥� They will also perform in a New Year鈥檚 Eve concert.
