Diàlegs de Tirant e Carmesina

This new chamber opera by Joan Magrané, with a libretto by Marc Rosich, takes the form of a theme and variations based on Tirant lo Blanc, the 15th century romance of chivalry by the Valencian author Joanot Martorell. It relates the love affair between the two leading characters, Tirant and Carmesina, while a third singer plays both Plaerdemavida and La Vídua Reposada.

Rosich – who also made Tirant lo Blanc into a play for Calixto Bieito – and Magrané – winner of the Queen Sofía Prize for composition – choose seduction as the dramatic driving force of their opera, which is performed by just three singers and a small on-stage instrumental ensemble. A modern theatrical concept of great expressiveness underlies the treatment of both voices and instruments and is further enhanced by the late-medieval madrigal tradition.

This project arose from the New and Pocket Opera Festival, an event founded 25 years ago, which is firmly committed to exploring new formats in order to legitimate the relevance and sustained presence of opera in the 21st century.