Tomás Bretón · Romanticism
1889
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 lovers of Teruel, premiered at the Teatro Real in Madrid in 1889, was Bretón's great step in his struggle for a Spanish national opera. He himself wrote the libretto from the romantic drama of Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch, based on the famous medieval Aragonese legend. The success was remarkable and the work was also represented outside Spain.
Diego and Isabel love each other, but her father demands that he be enriched before giving him his hand. Diego leaves the war with a five-year term; he returns just after the deadline has expired, and finds Isabel married to another. Desperate, she dies of pain, and she also dies on her body. Breton builds an ambitious opera, with a rich orchestra and recurring themes that show Wagner's influence, but without renouncing Italian lyrism or certain Spanish colors. The prelude and the great duo of love are its most accomplished moments. It is an important work in the history of Spanish opera, which deserves more representations.
What to hear
- The orchestral prelude.
- Diego and Isabel's love duo.
- The recurring themes of Wagnerian influence.
