Fernanda
Fernanda is an intimate chamber adaptation of Federico Moreno Torroba’s beloved zarzuela Luisa Fernanda, blending romantic intrigue with the political upheaval of 1868 Spain. Fernanda’s peaceful life is unsettled when a former love returns, drawing her into a complicated triangle involving an old flame, a new admirer, jealousy, shifting loyalties, and difficult second chances.
The work’s roots reach back to Luisa Fernanda’s 1932 premiere at Madrid’s Teatro Calderón. Torroba’s score combines the Spanish color and nationalism of the zarzuela tradition with the elegance of Viennese operetta and the intensity of Italian verismo. The story follows an innkeeper’s daughter caught between ambitious Javier, the wealthy landowner Vidal, and the seductive monarchist Duchess Carolina as romance becomes entangled with revolution. This chamber production is presented in partnership with Opera Hispánica and includes special narration by Robin Martínez.
When: November 13 and November 15
Showtimes: November 13 at 7:30 PM; November 15 at 2:00 PM
Chamber Chats: A free pre-performance conversation takes place at 6:45 PM on November 13 with Dr. Chad Gasta, and at 1:15 PM on November 15 with Eric Einhorn.
Venue: The OperaDelaware Studios
Language: Performed in Spanish with English and Spanish supertitles.
Run time: Approximately 1 hour.
Tickets: Price not available
Music: Federico Moreno Torroba
Libretto: Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández Shaw
Adaptation: Jorge Parodi
Cast: Gina Perregrino as Luisa Fernanda, Dane Suarez as Javier, Gerard Moon as Vidal, Emily Margevich as Carolina, Robin Martínez as narrator, and Eliezer Gutman as violinist.
Creative team: Malena Dayen, stage director; Julian Grabarek, music director; Tláloc López-Watermann, lighting designer; and Sarah Lillian, production stage manager.
Production note: The director, Malena Dayen, is an Argentine opera and Spanish music specialist making her return to OperaDelaware after directing the company’s world premiere of Derrick Wang’s Fearless. Julian Grabarek is an OperaDelaware Company Artist who serves as resident coach and conductor.