An eco-conscious adaptation, the work is to be performed on 14, 16, 17 and 18 October
The Auditorio de Tenerife presents the European premiere of Yerma, an opera by composer Heitor Villa-Lobos based on the eponymous work by Federico García Lorca. The performances take place on October 14, 16, 17, and 18 in the Symphony Hall. The details were announced by the provincial Minister for Culture of the Island Council of Tenerife, José Carlos Acha, the General Director of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries, Cristóbal de la Rosa, José Luis Rivero, the Artistic Director of the Auditorio de Tenerife, the stage director, Paco Azorín, and the soprano Berna Perles, who spoke for the singers involved in this international collaborative production between the Auditorio de Tenerife, the Teatro de la Zarzuela, the Festival Amazonas de Ópera (Manaus, Brazil) and the Festival de Ópera do Theatro da Paz (Belém, Brazil).
José Carlos Acha emphasised the ‘special significance of this production, not only as the opening work of this season’s Ópera de Tenerife programme but also as the premiere in Europe of this lyrical version of Lorca’s play’. He continued: ‘In addition to the tremendous symbolism that characterises Lorca’s works, this production is an eco-conscious adaptation in which our auditorium will be transformed into a swimming pool’. Acha concluded by pointing out that this opera is an example of international cooperation undertaken by the Auditorio and is the result of the dedication of its staff in making a production of this scale a reality.
Cristóbal de la Rosa said, ‘In recent decades, the Government of the Canary Islands has consistently supported Ópera de Tenerife, in view of the great depth of its outstanding work’. Continuing, he underscored ‘the status of the Auditorio de Tenerife as one of the more important centres of artistic production in Spain’. Lastly, he mentioned ‘the work we are all doing to reach a greater number of spectators and to help shape social and economic aspects of life through the arts’.
José Luis Rivero proudly recalled, ‘Our work on this project began two and a half years ago, when I decided to do this Yerma with our music director Luiz Fernando Malheiro. We agreed to work on a critical revision of the score, to collaborate with the Brazilian Academy of Music, and to find American and European theatres to participate in the project. He added, ‘To do this, we needed a team that would give us a contemporary reading of Yerma, and Paco Azorín and his staff rose to the challenge’. Rivero went on to say, ‘Lorca’s works are increasingly necessary in these confusing times in which mediocrity is king’. Concluding, he said, ‘The premiere is going to be very special, intense and exciting, because it will be the first interpretation of a universal work that belongs to all citizens, and we’re going to give it to them through these four performances’.
Paco Azorín spoke of the necessity of addressing environmental concerns: ‘Since 1990, the Earth has lost forestland amounting to half the size of Brazil, and Europe is amid its worst drought in the last 500 years’. He stated, ‘Capitalism is eating us alive and leaving our planet sterile. That’s why we wanted to move in the opposite direction from Lorca’s play. Whereas he began with the concept of a sterile Earth and worked it into a character, our adaptation takes the story from the character to the Earth. Azorín has created a version of Lorca’s script that is ‘complete, with an eco-conscious focus and polysemic staging that is very much in the spirit of Lorca and extremely challenging technical aspects, because we had to measure up to the power of Lorca’s script and the music of Villa-Lobos’. Winding up his comments, Azorín praised ‘two great talents I’ve come to know through this production. The first is Luiz Fernando Malheiro, who understands that opera is a combination of theatre and music. The second is Berna Perles, who, as Yerma, has to be onstage for five of the six acts. What she’s going to do will make operatic history.
Berna Perles said, ‘Artists are only as good as the professional opportunities they’re afforded, and I’m very grateful for this opportunity to lend my voice and body to Yerma. It’s a process of transformation that pushes me to the very edge of my physical and vocal limits, with nowhere to hide. Speaking of the ‘love and commitment’ of the cast and crew, she said of the stage director, ‘he gives this work greater depth, raw energy and dramatic connection that compel you to take part and to give your best performance.’ She added, ‘We are artists who put ourselves entirely at the service of art, and we feel that we are part of something big. I hope it’s a milestone in my career, because it’s already marked a before and after in my life, she concluded.
In addition to Paco Azorín overseeing stage direction and set design, the crew also includes Carlos Martos de la Vega as playwright and director of blocking, Pedro Chamizo as video designer, Ana Garay as wardrobe designer, Pedro Yagüe in charge of lighting, and Blanca Torres handling consultation regarding the work’s historical and psychological implications.
The cast features two sopranos as Yerma: Berna Perles in the shows scheduled for the 14th, 16th and 18th, and María Miró on the 17th. Tenor Alejandro Roy is Yerma’s husband, Juan; baritone Javier Castañeda is Yerma’s childhood friend, Víctor; mezzo-soprano Anna Gomà is Yerma’s friend, María, who is a mother; and mezzo-soprano María José Montiel is Dolores, a woman who is said to have powers that may help Yerma.
An assortment of roles, including those of older women and girls, sisters-in-law, and washerwomen, will be played by the mezzo-sopranos Belén Elvira, Guadalupe Barrientos, and Alexandra Urquiola, as well as the sopranos Zayra Ruiz, Marga Cloquell, and Carmen Mateo. Tenor Alberto Ballesta will interpret the Male.
In addition to the cast, the main choir Ópera de Tenerife-Intermezzo will sing onstage with comprimarios under the direction of conductor Miguel Ángel Arqued. The production also includes supernumerary actors, some of whom will portray the children that Yerma is unable to bear.
The Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife will perform under the direction of conductor Luiz Fernando Malheiro, who has overseen the critical revision of the score that will be premiered at these performances. Conductor Pablo Urbina is to lead the orchestra on October 17.
This opera has rarely been staged. Although it was composed in 1956, it did not premiere until 1971 at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico (USA), 12 years after the passing of Villa-Lobos. On that occasion, Yerma was performed by Catalonian soprano Mirna Lacambra, an eminent figure in the world of opera who, at 92 years of age, will be present at the October 14 premiere.
This production of Yerma will see the auditorium’s Symphony Hall transformed into a swimming pool through the presence of 20,000 litres of water (the approximate capacity of an average-sized domestic pool) that will be used in all four scheduled performances after undergoing a special treatment to ensure the safety and comfort of the artists. The water is intended to contrast with the arid setting in the second part of the opera, which reflects Yerma’s feelings. In line with the work’s eco-conscious theme, this use of water is intended to raise awareness and draw a parallel between the circumstances of the lead and our planet. If she gives in to Juan’s wishes, who represents capitalism in Azorín’s adaptation, her future can only be barren.
Subscriptions may be purchased up until the date of the first performance, and single tickets are now on sale for the majority of the titles in the 2025-2026 opera season. The six subscription titles can be purchased starting at €125, or €30 for audience members under 30. The tickets are available on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium’s box office or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ópera de Tenerife is an initiative organised by the Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife with the collaboration of the ICDC (Regional Institute of Cultural Development) and the INAEM (National Institute of Performing Arts and Music).