On 18 July Derek Bermel and Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street premiered at Glimmerglass Opera. The 110-minute work, whose story is drawn from Cisneros’ celebrated novel about a Hispanic Chicago neighbourhood, is a coming-of-age story for the 12-year-old Esperanza, exploring her discoveries, struggles, and dreams, and examining questions around cultural identity, alienation, and violence against women and immigrants. The Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra was conducted by Nicole Paiement and the production directed by Chía Patiño. The opera, commissioned by Glimmerglass, is in rep until 16 August - watch a preview here.
Cisneros’ novel, which was previously adapted for the stage fifteen years ago, has been imagined anew by both Bermel and Cisneros for the operatic stage, creating a more direct and linear narrative out of the novel’s forty vignettes, its world of friends and neighbourhood characters brought to life by the 22-strong Glimmerglass ensemble. The text, though mostly in English, features passages in Spanish as well as the hybrid language Spanglish.
The opera features thirteen principal roles with chorus and is scored for an orchestra of double woodwinds and brass, with the addition of alto and tenor saxophones, two percussionists, piano/keyboard, harp, and strings. Along with music reflecting influences from the long history of opera, Bermel’s characteristic stylistic eclecticism is on display. Esperanza’s poetic, dreamlike imagination is reflected in jazzy harmonies and a more abstract musical language.
Elsewhere Bermel invokes the syncretic musical tradition of Tejano/Norteño, or Conjunto – Mexican indigenous music meeting the accordion-inflected sound of Czech and Polish immigrant traditions. Other characters draw on Gospel and Hip-Hop idioms. At Cisneros’ request Bermel also reworked music from the central movement of Murmurations (2015) for violin and strings – ‘Gliding Over Algiers’ - for a scene about healing.
The opera stars Mikaela Bennett as Esperanza, with Samantha Sosa as Lucy and Kaylan Hernandez as Rachel; designs are by the late John Conklin and Erik Teague with choreography for the vibrant salsa numbers and street party by Amanda Castro.
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