LVSO

M. de Falla. Opera "La vida breve" (eng. A Brief Life) (concert performance)

Adriana González, soprano

Justina Gringytė, mezzo-soprano

Edgaras Montvidas, tenor

Joris Rubinovas, bass-baritone

Romanas Kudriašovas, baritone

Tomas Pavilionis, tenor

Ugnė Stražnickaitė, mezzo-soprano

Ricardo Fernández del Moral Pozuelo, guitar

Verónica Pullido, flamenco dancer

Kaunas State Choir (Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Robertas Šervenikas)

Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra

Conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius

The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, led by Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, begins its 38th concert season with a vibrant work of Spanish temperament – Manuel de Falla's (1876–1946) opera "La vida breve". The opera was born after an extremely long and meticulous creative process: written in 1904–1905, it saw the light of day in April 1913 in the city of Nice, France. After the first premiere, taking into account the suggestions of Claude Debussy, M. de Falla reworked the initial numerical form of the opera into a work characterized by a more cohesive musical texture and more mature orchestration. It was this version, which premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in December 1913, that became the standard performance version of the opera.

In creating the opera "La vida breve", the famous composer achieved a level of artistic mastery and ethnic authenticity that had not been achieved in any previous Spanish lyrical drama. M. de Falla combined professional orchestration, expressive melody, and traditional elements of Spanish folk music. This allowed this opera to stand out from other works of the same genre that lacked universal style and technique. Furthermore, it is unusual in that the instrumental part is given almost as much musical space as the vocal part.

It is a story about great passion and love that cannot cross social boundaries, about a fate that brings ruin even to the purest desires. The main plot line revolves around Salud, who is madly in love with Paco, but does not know that he is already promised to another. Salud's uncle Salvador and her grandmother try to stop her from disrupting Paco's upcoming wedding. The second act unfolds during the conflict at the wedding celebration and finally ends with Salud's broken heart and her dramatic death at Paco's feet – a moving expression of contempt for her former lover. Between celebration and sorrow, between love and betrayal, a drama is born in which the human heart becomes an instrument of tragic fate.