Researchers at the Complutense Institute of Musical Sciences rescued the score from oblivion after 350 years.
The Auditorio de Tenerife is to collaborate with Teatro Leal, where the first performance of Los celos hacen estrellas y el amor hace prodigios is to take place since the work’s recent recovery. The revival of this Baroque zarzuela after 350 years —the oldest Spanish zarzuela with complete libretto and score— is to be the work’s first staging since its recovery, constituting a milestone in terms of cultural heritage and Spanish musical theatre. Two performances of this work, with music composed by Juan Hidalgo and libretto written by Juan Vélez de Guevara, have been scheduled for Friday (15 May) and Sunday (17 May) at 7.30 p.m. As it is the only extant Spanish Baroque zarzuela with a complete libretto and score, its revival is of great significance.
This integral recovery is a milestone, as most of Juan Hidalgo’s works were lost in 1734 in a fire that destroyed the Royal Alcázar of Madrid. The zarzuela premiered on 2 February 1673, in a performance celebrating the birthday of Queen Mariana of Austria before the court of Charles II of Spain.
Conceived as courtly entertainment deriving from a mythological story based on Ovid’s The Metamorphoses, the libretto of Vélez de Guevara unfolds very quickly with the classic elements of Baroque tragedies: love, heartbreak, betrayal, jealousy… the story focuses on Juno’s jealousy of Jupiter, who intends to seduce the nymph Isis and transforms her into a cow to protect her from the goddess. Juno asks Jupiter to give her the cow, which then remains under the watchful eyes of Argus. After a series of incredible adventures, Jupiter promises Juno that he will not betray her again, restoring Isis to her human form and proclaiming her goddess of Egypt.
Musicologists Álvaro Torrente and Carmelo Caballero spent years locating and comparing the incomplete original manuscripts of Los celos hacen estrellas y el amor hace prodigios at the National Library of Spain, along with supplementary sources at the Valladolid Cathedral and the University of Santiago de Compostela. This has resulted in a critical edition of the score and the libretto, published by the Complutense Institute of Musical Sciences, for which this premiere culminates years of time and effort invested in the recovery of this zarzuela.
Regarding the music of the performance to be offered in Teatro Leal, Aarón Zapico is in charge of the direction as well as the musical version to be performed by an ensemble of 10 musicians: Juan Carlos de Mulder (archlute), Carlos Oramas (theorbo), Diego Armando Pérez (cello), Francesc Aguiló (violone), Joaquim Guerra (dulcian), Adrián Linares (violin), Lorena Padrón (violin), Martín Ogando (recorder), Lluís Coll (cornett) and Zapico on harpsichord.
Ricardo Campelo, director and set designer, chose a contemporary staging for Tenerife Opera’s current season. He attempts to show spectators what love would look like under a microscope. By using AI and 3-D designs, he creates a powerful, onstage dialogue between the past and the present.
Leo Martínez crafts stunning, handcrafted costumes for this production, aligning with the artistic interpretation of the work. Beny Arencibia designs the lighting, and Marcos Fernández (Catmac) oversees the audio-visual design.
The cast comprises both singers and actors. On the vocal side are soprano Ruth González, tenor Juan Sancho, mezzo‑soprano Lucía Caihuela, soprano Soraya Méncid and soprano Lucía Martín‑Cartón. In the acting ensemble are actresses Karmele Aramburu, Silvia Criado, Mabel Quintero, Karen Ferrer, Yolanda Peña, Andrea García and Paula Marrero; and actors Joche Rubio, Óscar Martín, José Cubas, Juan Pablo Domínguez and Ignacio de la Lastra.
The tickets can be purchased at a single price of €20 on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the Teatro Leal’s box office, or by dialling the phone number 922 265 433 from Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. On Sundays, the box office will open two hours before the start of the performance.
Ópera de Tenerife is an initiative organised by the Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife with the sponsorship of the ICDC (Regional Institute of Cultural Development) and the INAEM (National Institute of Performing Arts and Music).