Tomás Bretón · Romanticism
1895
Opera · Madrid
Tonality
Without a unique tone. Like every opera, it goes through many tonalities along its aryan, chorus and scenes.
From the atril
The Dolores, premiered in Madrid in 1895, it is the most popular opera of Bretón and one of the great successes of the Spanish lyric theatre of its time, with more than a hundred performances followed. It is based on the drama of José Feliú and Codina, set in Calatayud, Aragon, around a copla that slandered a girl.
Dolores, a young servant of a inn, is pretended by several men, including the rich Patricio, Sergeant Rojas and the young seminarian Lazarus, who loves her sincerely. Melchor, a barber, humbles her with a copla that circulates all over the town. The story ends in tragedy, when Lazaro kills Melchor to defend the honor of Dolores. Breton combines a veristic-cut drama with a strong aragonese popular color. The most famous moment is the great jota of the first act, a coral and orchestral page full of energy that has become one of the most famous jotes of Spanish music.
What to hear
- The big jot of the first act.
- The popular Aragonese color.
- The tragic outcome.
