‘Purple Spring’, which starts tomorrow and continues until June, revolves around ‘La traviata’

The Cabildo, through Ópera de Tenerife, and La Laguna University through University Institute on Women Studies and the Cátedra Cultural Pedro García Cabrera, presented on 12 March Purple Spring, a programme whose aim is to train for gender equality values through culture. The scheme revolves around the opera La traviata, to be performed at the Paraninfo in La Laguna University and in Garachico. Details were explained by the President of the Cabildo, Carlos Alonso; the island director for Culture and Education, José Luis Rivero; the director of University Institute on Women Studies, Inmaculada Perdomo, and the intendant of Ópera de Tenerife, Alejandro Abrante.

Carlos Alonso stated that “Purple Spring is an important multidisciplinary scheme that involves a deep process of reflection through culture in general and, specifically, through the opera La traviata, where the main character’s role depicts her disagreement with what society imposes on her”. He also highlighted that this production “takes on the challenges of Tenerife 2030 strategy decentralizing its staging, therefore widening the audience and including more venues”.

José Luis Rivero stressed “the actual importance of women in Ópera de Tenerife, where they are not only present in the artistic teams but also in the management and production areas”, something he highlighted as “constantly seeking to value the talent of women in opera, a traditionally androcentric world”.

Alejandro Abrante expressed his gratitude because “since the beginning, all the institutions involved collaborated closely”, and said that “culture must play an active role in the search for equality”. In this case, “a glance at the recent social-cultural past helps to point the keys toward getting rid of current inequalities”, the intendant added.

To Inmaculada Perdomo, “Purple Spring is a relevant project that will convey to society the keys to building the female world so that equality permeates the community and culture”.

The vice-president of AsLiCo and Teatro Sociale di Como, Giovanna Lomazzi, will give a masterclass entitled Song performing in the world of Verdi on Tuesday, 13 and Wednesday, 14 March. In it she will explain the main keys to both active participants and listeners. It will take place at Sala Puerto in Auditorio de Tenerife and admission is free.

The lecture programme will be held at different venues between 5 April and 28 May. Six outstanding speakers will deal with cultural, social, philosophical, scientific and literary features of the 19th century. Inmaculada Perdomo is starting the series with a talk entitled Construcción de lo femenino. La naturaleza de las mujeres según la ciencia en el siglo XIX, at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

On 20 April, the same venue welcomes the intendant of Ópera de Tenerife, Alejandro Abrante, whose talk is La imagen de lo invisible en el reflejo de las tres mujeres que inspiraron a Verdi en La Traviata: Alphonsine Duplessis, Marguerite Gautier y Violetta Valéry. On 26 April, at the Chamber Music Hall in Auditorio de Tenerife, stage manager Stefania Bonfadelli is presenting Callas revolucionó la interpretación del personaje de Violetta.

Art director at Opera (e)Studio, Giulio Zappa, will talk about Los intríngulis en clave musical de La traviata en teatro verdiano, on 15 May at Aula de Filosofía de la Universidad de La Laguna. Two days later, 17 May, at TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes it is writer Laura Freixas’s turn with Mujeres que sufren, cantan, mueren, callan. Una constante cultural: la exaltación del sufrimiento femenino. The last talk is given by the Professor in Philosophy, Fernando Broncano, on 28 May at Aula de Filosofía de la Universidad de La Laguna, with Lo que ignoran los hombres. La representación de la ignorancia voluntaria.

The last activity scheduled in the programme of Purple Spring will take place at TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, where the American film Camille (1936), directed by George Cukor and based on the novel by Alejandro Dumas will be screened on 25 April.

Download the full program

Programme of Lectures [5 April to 28 May] (In Spanish)

1. Construcción de lo femenino. La naturaleza de las mujeres según la ciencia en el siglo XIX
Inmaculada Perdomo. Directora del IUEM. Profesora titular de Lógica y Filosofía de la Ciencia.
Círculo de Bellas Artes de Santa Cruz de Tenerife
5 April | 19:00 h
[Admission free]

2. La imagen de lo invisible en el reflejo de las tres mujeres que inspiraron a Verdi en La Traviata: Alphonsine Duplessis, Marguerite Gautier y Violetta Valéry.
Alejandro Abrante. Intendente de Ópera de Tenerife.
Círculo de Bellas Artes de Santa Cruz de Tenerife
20 April | 19:00 h
[Admission free]

3. Callas revolucionó la interpretación del personaje de Violetta
Stefania Bonfadelli. Directora de escena
Auditorio de Tenerife | Sala de Cámara
26 April | 19:30 h
[Admission free]

4. Los intríngulis en clave musical de La Traviata en teatro verdiano
Giulio Zappa. Director artístico de Opera (e)Studio | Ópera de Tenerife.
Universidad de La Laguna | Salón de Grados de la Facultad de Filosofía
15 May | 19:00 h
[Admission free]

5. Mujeres que sufren, cantan, mueren, callan. Una constante cultural: la exaltación del sufrimiento femenino.
Laura Freixas. Escritora
TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes | Sala B
17 May |19:00 h
[Admission free]

6. Lo que ignoran los hombres. La representación de la ignorancia voluntaria.
Fernando Broncano. Catedrático de Filosofía de la Ciencia, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Universidad de La Laguna | Aula de Filosofía
28 May | 19:00 h
[Admission free]

Videoforum
Screening of Camille

TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes

25 April | 20:00 h