The Metropolitan Opera is making history.
For the first time in almost a century, the Met will present a work in Spanish. This is Florencia en el Amazonas by the Mexican composer Daniel Catán and with a cast that includes the renowned Mexican-American soprano Ailyn Pérez.
“I have never known a work so beautiful, that all the seven characters have music and words that really bring us closer to a reason, a reason to live, a reason to sing, a reason to connect with a community and show how important it is. a message of love,” Pérez explained.
The show is inspired by magical realism and the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Alvaro Mutis. Catán’s widow, Andrea Puente-Catán, believes this is a great opportunity to open the doors to other productions in Spanish and connect Latinos with the world of opera.
“The Met is giving a voice to all of us Latin Americans who come here. It is an important moment for the company and to honor Spanish, the fact that we have singers who are from this group of this diaspora of people who come from our countries and who speaks Spanish, I think it is very important because it encompasses us, it invites us to tell these stories,” said Puente-Catán.
The opera, in two acts, with a libretto by the also Mexican Marcela Fuentes-Berain, is also the first Latin American work to be presented at the Met.
The Met posted a message on social media announcing the premiere of the work and showing images of one of the rehearsals in Florence.
Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas has its Met premiere TONIGHT, November 16. Enjoy this look into a day of rehearsal with soprano @ailynperezsop. Met Music Director @NezetSeguin conducts Mary Zimmerman’s magical new production.#MetOpera #Amazon #Magic pic.twitter.com/sLHdSRbNLv
— Metropolitan Opera (@MetOpera) November 16, 2023
We have many stories that have to be told from the perspective of our community that reflects our country, our roots, our stories, so important to share with the world.
Pérez, born in Chicago to Mexican parents, made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2015, a place that she says never stops filling her with emotion. But with Florencia, she says she has managed to connect in a deeper way with her roots and her native language.
“This invitation has not only arrived, let’s say at its perfect moment, for me as an artist. Here, having it for the first time to share it, I feel connected, I feel affirmed by the company as a promise for the entire community that today we will go forward. to have works in Spanish,” Pérez added.
