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Opera in Portugal in the Last Quarter of the Twentieth Century: A Reflection on the Theatrical and Musical Issues in Creating Music Theatre

2023; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 42; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/07494467.2023.2278353

1477-2256

João Paulo Santos,

Musicology and Musical Analysis

ABSTRACTThis article proposes a critical perspective on operatic production carried out in Portugal in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Through concrete examples, I examine the issues that arise in the process of creating the newly composed opera and music theatre. The aesthetic differences existing between these two genres partly depend on the relationships that composers have with theatre and/or stage directors. Therefore, I scrutinise the circumstances that led Portuguese composers to write new operas after the Carnation Revolution (1974), focusing on their creative processes as an attempt to answer the following critical questions: How did composers choose their librettos? What technical assistance did they have and at what stage of the creative process? Were some of these methods of writing opera applicable to music theatre? I propose to debate these issues through the critical eye of a person who actively participated in these productions, whether as a correpetiteur pianist working with singers, chorus master, or conductor. Ultimately, I intend to illustrate how the Carnation Revolution affected these operatic productions.KEYWORDS: New Portuguese operaTeatro Nacional de São Carlosmusic theatreCarnation Revolutioncontemporary Portuguese composerscontemporary Portuguese stage directors Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 For more information on the history of the TNSC, see Moreau (Citation1999).2 See consulted sources in the Appendix section.3 The literature on opera in Portugal from 1975 to 2000 is not yet available. One reason stems from the fact that this repertoire is not performed, and, consequently, its history has not been contextualized yet. However, there are references about opera in Portugal, including de Brito (Citation1989), who dedicates his book to the Portuguese eighteenth-century opera; Cymbron (Citation2000), with a focus on opera in Portugal in the mid-nineteenth century; Cruz (Citation2020), which refers to the opera life in Lisbon between 1938–1945.4 With some notable exceptions, composer Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906–1994) chose a literary work by a remarkable playwright, Gil Vicente for his opera, because he knew that censorship would not extend to banning Vicente because of his prominence. Joly Braga Santos (1924–1988) was also trying to find a way to obtain support to produce his works. While his works occasionally contained messages rebelling against the regime, he often had to make choices in order to avoid censorship. António Victorino d’Almeida (b. 1940) chose several phrases from literary works by different Portuguese authors, such as Luís Vaz de Camões, making a collage of texts that collectively communicated ideas that would not reach the stage before the Carnation Revolution, as they would be immediately subject to censorship given that they called into question the idea of homeland, the Overseas, and the rationale behind the voyages of discovery, and so forth.5 ACARTE was inaugurated by the FCG in 1984 under Madalena de Azeredo Perdigão (1923–1989), who was also the first director of the Music Department at the same institution between 1960 and 1970.6 For further reading on the history and activities of ColecViva, see Magalhães (Citation2023).7 Vieira is a notable Portuguese historian, cultural critic, theatre and dance dramaturge, and a curator.8 See Appendix for programme notes available at the TNSC.9 See both programmes available in the TNSC Archives in Appendix concerning Amor de Perdição (1991) by António Emiliano.10 Interview with the composer Maria de Lourdes Martins conducted by musicologist Paulo Ferreira de Castro, in the programme of Três Máscaras (1986) by Maria de Lourdes Martins (see also programmes available in the TNSC Archives in Appendix).11 The origins of the text are identified in the libretto’s notes published in the programme; also see Martins (Citation2011).12 Portugal celebrates June 10 as the Portugal, Camões, and Portuguese Communities Day.Additional informationNotes on contributorsJoão Paulo SantosJoão Paulo Santos is a pianist and conductor, as well as a researcher, editor, and interpreter of Portuguese nineteenth- and twentieth-century works. He completed his higher education in piano performance at the National Conservatory of Lisbon in the class of Adriano Jordão. He has also worked with Helena Costa, Joana Silva, Constança Capdeville, Lola Aragón, and Elizabeth Grümmer. Awarded a Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship, he studied in Paris under Aldo Ciccolini (1979–1984). Santos made his musical directorial debut in 1990 with the opera The Bear (William Walton), and subsequently premiered numerous other twentieth-century operas, including those by Igor Stravinsky, Toshio Hosokawa, Hans Werner Henze, Benjamin Britten, and Paul Hindemith, as well as works by Portuguese composers, such as António Chagas Rosa, António Pinho Vargas, Eurico Carrapatoso, and Clotilde Rosa. His career spans the last 47 years of the history of Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, where he started as a correpetiteur pianist for singers and a chorus master. Currently, Santos is the Head of Music at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.