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MM:
You’ve said that being Peruvian and having witnessed these things, you
felt a responsibility to make elements of the story more explicit and bring
some aspects of the real-life events into the opera. What did you want to
convey about the events?
JL:
There are many parallels between
Bel Canto
the novel and the historical
events, but many of them are deliberately obscured. As a Peruvian, I
decided that there was no reason why I shouldn’t shed a little more light
upon them. Ann Patchett’s novel, for example, takes place in an unnamed
South American country; Nilo’s libretto places the action in Peru. The novel
changes the name of the terrorist organization, whereas in the opera we
use the real name: MRTA. Also, we took advantage of the fact that many
of Ann Patchett’s characters are based on real people, and although we
have kept their fictional names, we have added a few historical details here
and there. In the opera, for example, the leader of MRTA makes allusion to
his wife being in prison, something that is never mentioned in the book. Also,
we know that at some point the commanders had conflicting views about
how to resolve the crisis, and we bring some of these disagreements to the
foreground.
In general, though, we have been faithful to the book because introducing
too many historical elements would have altered the story considerably,
which is not what we were after. When it comes to the staging, however, our
director, Kevin Newbury, has done a lot of research on the actual crisis, so
you will see uniforms, flags, props, and costumes inspired by the real events.
MM:
Is
Bel Canto
a political opera?
JL: Politics serve as a frame for the story; they are not the central aspect of
the story. What we are focusing on is the human drama that developed
between rebels and hostages during the 126 days that they remained in
captivity. The emotional and psychological drama that unfolds during that
time is what interests me the most, as well as the love stories that flourish
under such unlikely circumstances.
MM:
How do you deal with differences of opinion in the collaborative
process? What is the impact of collaborating with other artists on your own
creative process and product?
JL:
As a composer of mostly chamber and orchestral music, I was not used
to getting a lot of feedback before presenting the finished product. Here,
however, I had to show my progress every few months, and that proved
to be challenging and enlightening at the same time. What you’ll see on
stage on opening night is a finished product.
Bel Canto
has already gone
through plenty of revisions, rewrites, cuts, and extensions, all due to the close
collaboration I’ve enjoyed with Nilo Cruz, Kevin Newbury, Sir Andrew Davis,
Renée Fleming, and Danielle de Niese since 2012. We even had a workshop
in 2014 where we tried four out of a total of six scenes in the opera.
It is always important to remain receptive to criticism and keep one’s ears
open to different thoughts and ideas, but at the same time the composer
must remain true to his/her own musical and stylistic convictions, otherwise
there’s a risk of compromising the artistic integrity of the piece. For me
it has been a luxury to receive feedback from such a notable group of
collaborators, and I’ve learned a lot in the process.
JG:
You’ve dedicated
Bel Canto
to Renée Fleming. Explain her involvement
and what it’s been like working with her.
JL:
Bel Canto
is Renée’s brainchild; without her,
none of us would be here talking about it. It
was her idea to bring Ann Patchett’s novel to
the stage, and she, along with Anthony Freud,
has been the driving force behind this project.
She was actively involved in the creation of
the libretto, exchanging innumerable calls and
emails with Nilo Cruz and myself. Ever since the
announcement back in February of 2012, Renée
has taken part in our periodic work meetings
with Nilo, Kevin Newbury, Sir Andrew Davis, and
Danielle de Niese. Her feedback has covered a
wide range of topics, from vocal writing and text
setting to dramatic pacing and formal structuring.
It has been a luxury to benefit from her extensive
experience as a performing artist and her vast
knowledge of the operatic medium. She has even gone beyond the artistic,
actively spreading the word about
Bel Canto
among arts organizations and
opera audiences.
An Exchange with
Jimmy López
Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative
consultant, curated the
commission of
Bel Canto.
Photo: Decca—Andrew Eccles