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| CONQUISTADOR |
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| CONQUISTADOR |
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| TOP OF PAGE |
| CAPTIONS |
| top Discussions abound during the preparation of a brand-new opera. with the composer and librettist present during every rehearsal, they were available for consultations with the stage director, the conductor, and all the singers about interpretation, timing, or changes. [composer Myron Fink and tenor Jerry Hadley] |
| second row The opening scene introduces the Spaniards - soldiers, courtiers, priests, merchants - and the Indians of New Spain (present-day México) whose culture has been invaded and destroyed. |
| third row Don Luis de Carvajal in Act I: "Sword Aria" [tenor Jerry Hadley] "You do not approve? You think me cruel, merciless. But how else does one build an empire, except by force of a greater culture, the true religion?"
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"There are lots of times, particularly in opera, when time stops and you have to stand still and talk, like a soliloquy in Shakespeare. In most cases, movement isn’t really expressive - it’s just movement. "So I even find that I am simplifying movement on stage. ‘Cause you watch, and there’s a lot of nervous movement on stage, nervous movement that doesn’t happen in real life. It’s interesting. As soon as you put somebody on the stage, instead of being, they pretend to be. "And it’s a scary thing because when you stand still on stage, it’s just . . . I’m talking about active stillness. I’m talking about. . . the kind of stillness that allows you then to go anywhere and do anything, as opposed to just being inactive. "Then your focus becomes totally different. The focus becomes not on what’s happening around you, the focus is on . . . all right now, show us, the audience, tell us, the audience, what you think and what you feel at this moment." |
 Leading tenor Jerry Hadley discussed his acting approach to Don Luis, in an interview for ML Hart's The Tenor Book. |
| first row in block - left Ambitious and ruthless, the Viceory of Spain is the royal authority in the new world. [baritone Louis Otey] |
first row in block - right Sahagún, a monk who is genuinely committed to religious conversion of the native population, is the narrator of the story. [bass Kenneth Cox] |
| middle row in block - left Xuarante, a defiant native chieftan, impales himself on Don Luis' sword, rather than returning to captivity. |
middle row in block - center The Inquisitor is charged with enforcing the religious laws of New Spain. [tenor John Duykers] |
middle row in block - right Felipe Nuñez is, a soldier and protegé of Don Luis, engaged to his niece, but a weak man who will eventually betray the entire family. [baritone Stephen Powell] "Don't you see, I had
no choice! |
| last row in block - left The ghost of Don Luis' mother appears to him in a dream, confirming his growing suspicion that his family is Jewish. "My son, there is
no escape. |
last row in block - right "I light this candle in memory of my grandmother
...
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The Conquistador
is based on the true story of Don Luis de Carvajal, a prominent 16th century conquistador
of New Spain (today's México). Like many others in New Spain, he was of Jewish ancestry
but because of the politics of that society, had been sent away as a child and raised as a
Catholic. In the opera, Carvajal's advocacy of Indian rights earns him the bitter enmity of the Spanish colonists and merchants, and his courtship of the Viceroy's niece turns the court against him. Don Luis' family attempts to convert him back to the faith of his ancestors, but fearing for his reputation and safety, he breaks all ties with them. They are all arrested and denounced to the Inquisition. Don Luis, imprisoned and awaiting permanent exile, struggles to reconcile his dual identity - a Jew by blood and a Catholic by faith. |
| bottom rows Don Luis in prison - the text is part of a trio of linked soliloquies that brings the opera to a close. Don Luis examines the upheavals and revelations in his life and in himself as he faces the conflicts among his heritage, his upbringing, and his beliefs. [tenor Jerry Hadley] |
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| The challenge of realizing a
new opera is enormous. This production was huge, with a full chorus, big orchestra, a
large number of principals, lots of supers, over 400 costumes ... and brand-new music. And
while much of it was being worked on during the previous three years, it all had to be
pulled together during a two-and-a-half week rehearsal period. The rehearsals were intense - filled with discussion, debate, experimentation, consultations, changes - I don't think there was a day we didn't go home drained. There was always the awareness of how short the time was, but overriding all of that was the need to get it right. Everyone drove themselves to the edge, never giving anything less than full effort and commitment - and they were well-rewarded. |
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| The story is intensely dramatic and constructed in a cinematic way, with time and location flowing back and forth from one moment to the next - the audience never failed to 'get it,' never failed to be moved. It made it all worthwhile. | ||
| Donald Moreland
(librettist) watches an early staging rehearsal, with Myron Fink (composer) in the
background |
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| TOP OF PAGE | ||
| San Diego Opera presents | ||
| THE CONQUISTADOR by Myron Fink | ||
| March 1997 | ||
| Conductor | Karen Keltner | |
| Director | Sharon Ott | |
| Set Design | Kent Dorsey | |
| Costume Design | Deborah Dryden | |
| Don Luis de Carvajal | Jerry Hadley | |
| Bernardino de Sahagún, Franciscan | Kenneth Cox | |
| Doña Elena de Robles | Elizabeth Hynes | |
| Don Alvaro Manrique de Zúñiga, the Viceroy | Louis Otey | |
| Doña Francisca de Matos, sister of Don Luis | Adria Firestone | |
| Doña Isabel de Matos, niece of Don Luis | Vivica Genaux | |
| Dr Lobo Guerrero, Chief Inquisitor | John Duykers | |
| Felipe Núñez, aide to Don Luis | Stephen Powell | |
| Ghost of Doña Leonora, mother of Don Luis | Kerry O'Brien | |
| Antonio Machado, friend of Doña Francisca | Philip Larson | |
| Alvaro, a soldier | Beau Palmer | |
| Baltasar, a soldier | James Scott Sikon | |
| Gaspar, a priest | David Downing | |
| EXPLORE MORE | ||
EXPLORE |
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| MORE OPERAS Explore More: Top 10 Ways to Fall in Love With Opera Principal Singers
& Singing WORDS
& MUSIC SHOP |
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| FanFaire,
the e-zine of classical music, has an in-depth feature on The Conquistador |
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 Explore more about opera and art n ML Hart's award-winning The Art of Making Opera "...you must surely fall in love with the theatre by simply leafing through the book." |
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