A solas con Marilyn
Ópera en minúscula (small-format opera) presents Alone with Marilyn at the Espacio La Granja, a chamber opera for soprano, mezzo-soprano, electric viola, electric guitar and soundscapes.
Alone with Marilyn is a work that explores betrayal, self-destruction and the influence of modern-day myths on society’s perception of reality. David del Puerto, winner of the National Music Award, composed the music of this opera for two voices (soprano and mezzosoprano), two instruments (viola and electric guitar) and an assortment of recorded electronic sounds. The music reflects the composer’s ability to combine contemporary styles with classic techniques. The story is based on Alfonso Zurro’s theatrical work with the same title, and Zurro himself adapted it to the operatic format. The work focusses on the everyday life of a mother and supermarket cashier and the crisis she experiences after being abandoned by her husband. Upon hearing the name Marilyn, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and desperation in which she will confuse reality, fantasy, dreams and delirium when she becomes obsessed with the enigmatic figure of the cinema actress Marilyn Monroe.
Text: Alfonso Zurro
Music: David del Puerto
Stage management: Ricardo Campelo
Assistant Director: Ruth Rubio
Lighting: Luiggi Falcone
Production: Ruth González
Production coordination and technical management: Cristina R. Cejas
Creative residency at the Teatro Auditorio San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid
A co-production of Teatro Xtremo, Ópera de Tenerife and Madrid Cultura y Turismo (MACUTU) of the Community of Madrid.
Première: 1st Chamber Opera Festival of the Community of Madrid
Ruth González, soprano
Blanca Valido, mezzo-soprano
Ana María Alonso, viola
David del Puerto, guitar
Teatro Xtremo was established as a collective in 2002. Its creations are characterised by the use of standalone and complementary techniques associated with fine arts and performing arts. Shattering barriers, its members make use of different languages to express the paradoxes of our present.
At this time, the Madrid-based company is led by playwright and director Ricardo Campelo Parabavides and soprano and actress Ruth González. Between 2005 and 2015, they oversaw the TX Space workshop in Jaén, where they developed a stable programme and several years of festivals representing the contemporary opera scene, such as Jaén Subterránea, Alienígenas and Mecánica.
Addiction, faith, pain and consumerism are among the underlying themes of the company’s creations, which critics have described as unsettling, transgressive and ironic”. Its most recent performance LÍRICA+ deals with the fragility of reality as a safe space, combining lyrical singing, electronic music and video creations.
