TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 (Salon Ortega/History and Literary Arts Building)—Valerie Martínez
The first workshop will focus on the various versions of Il Postino. First it was novel in Spanish, Ardiente Paciencia, by Antonio Skarmeta that was translated into English by Katherine Silver. Subsequently, it was made into a 2000 film, “Il Postino,” directed by Massimo Troisi and Michael Radford. Next, it was transformed into an opera. How did “Il Postino” change as it shifted from fiction to film to libretto? Valerie Martínez is the Director of History and Literary Arts at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Valerie spent 23 years as a professor of literature at the college and university level and joins the Inside Opera series as presenter for the second year.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 (Salon Ortega/History and Literary Arts Building) – Oliver Prezant
This workshop will focus on the creation of the libretto and the music of the opera. Oliver Prezant is a lecturer and educator for the Santa Fe Opera, the Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Fe Community Orchestra, and a Teaching Artist in the ArtWorks program. He has created lectures and education programs for audiences of all ages for numerous other organizations, including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Opera Southwest, and the Guilds of the San Francisco Opera. Oliver joins us for the second year as a presenter for Inside Opera.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 (on stage with members of the cast and the set in the Journal Theater) – Oliver Prezant
This workshop—on stage!—will emphasize the production and performance of “Il Postino” by Opera Southwest. Oliver Prezant is a lecturer and educator for the Santa Fe Opera, the Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Fe Community Orchestra, and a Teaching Artist in the ArtWorks program. He has created lectures and education programs for audiences of all ages for numerous other organizations, including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Opera Southwest, and the Guilds of the San Francisco Opera. Oliver joins us for the second year as a presenter for Inside Opera.
Sign up for the workshops here: https://nhccnm.wufoo.com/forms/inside-opera-workshop-series-il-postino/
ABOUT THE OPERA
From the Opera Southwest website: “When exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda arrives on a tiny Italian island, he receives so much fan mail that Mario is hired as his personal postman. Mario soon becomes Neruda’s student, learning the art of poetry to woo a local barmaid. Inspired by Neruda, Mario’s poetic voice continues to take wing as he expresses the struggles of his fellow working-class villagers. A firm friendship develops, and the postman is forever a changed man. The sounds of the Mediterranean come alive in Catán’s stunningly beautiful, Puccini-esque score – a story of love in its many forms, set against a backdrop of conflicting political and spiritual ideologies. Based on the novel “Ardiente Paciencia” by Antonio Skármeta and the film by Michael Radford. Sung in Spanish with English supertitles.”
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