Head of the Symphony Orchestra of the Region of Murcia and with a chair in Orchestral Conducting at the recently opened Murcian University, Virginia Martínez is facing one of Barbieri’s great titles, “Pan y toros”, in musical direction. The new production of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, directed by Juan Echanove, opens at the Campoamor theater on Thursday, February 23 and, with it, begins the XXX Spanish Lyric Theater Festival of Oviedo.
–How do you face directing “Bread and bulls”? Had he directed it before?
–No, this is the first time I’ve directed “Pan y toros”. I have arrived in Oviedo with a long history of many years of affection for this land, for this marvelous theater, for the city’s orchestra. I am delighted to return to Oviedo. I have always said that it is my second land. They have been coming to work here for almost twenty years, both with the OSPA (Symphonic Orchestra of the Principality) and with the Oviedo Filarmonía. I have directed zarzuela several times at the Campoamor theater and I am delighted to return, because this is a very welcoming house. When one is traveling from place to place, I arrive here and I have the feeling of coming home and putting on my slippers. I feel very loved, very cared for, even pampered I would say.
–What is unique about Barbieri’s “Bread and Bulls” musically?
–It is a very Mozartian work, it has very classical textures, from the 18th century, wonderful harmonies. I would highlight the two musical characters of the work, which adjust to what happens in the scene. On the one hand, there is the most folkloric part, the bullfighter, the most popular, the roots, the flamenco, the dance, the party… and on the other hand the most palatial part, with lighter music. I compare it with the heel and the toe: to dance the first part, the popular one, we need to support the heel, castanets and fans; the second part requires the music of lightness, that kind of pantomime that those who are part of the choir seem to perform. They are musical characters that attend directly to the nature of the characters. That is what we try as directors of an opera or a zarzuela to transmit to the pit, that coherence between the scene and the music.
–Does young audiences attend the zarzuela? And are there young artists? Is the traditional stereotype of the zarzuela still valid?
–The cast we have is very young, with exceptional talent, so… That zarzuela is designed for a more experienced audience is not a reality today. It depends on each theater and each city. The sets with which we mount the works today are adapted to our time, on stage and in the way of telling it. That brings us closer to zarzuela, which is our genre and must be defended.
But there have been many prejudices.
–There has been, of course, and there is still a long way to go. We have to value and love zarzuela more, but we have come a long way. The genre has adapted over time and I think that is the key to bringing it closer to a new audience.
–What skills does a good zarzuela director need?
-Flexibility. We are facing a genre in which many aspects come into play, not only the pit, there is also the set design and as directors we have to adapt. We must also bear in mind that singers have the most fragile instrument, which is the human voice. We always have to be available to the singers, how they breathe, how they develop a phrase, the air they have… There are so many factors that, above all, we have to be flexible to adapt to the situation at the moment. Everything requires prior preparation, undoubtedly, and we’ve been rehearsing for almost two weeks, but we always have to be attentive to the factor of the moment, to the live show to which we have to react quickly and flexibly.
–Do the voices and music have to support each other?
–We adapt, it is an adaptive process in both directions. We are for the job of ensuring that everything goes well and, of course, that the orchestra is at the service of the scene and the scene is constantly listening to the music. It is a process of communion in both directions.
–Any passage from “Pan y toros” that you particularly enjoy directing?
–It is a zarzuela that I enjoy from beginning to end. It’s two hours and a quarter of music. In a zarzuela there is a motif that is repeated many times, in this there are always new proposals, of harmonies and melodies. It’s such beautiful music! Every moment has something special. It’s a zarzuela to be enjoyed from start to finish, without missing a single area, not a duet, not a soloist, not a choir… It’s wonderful.