Ernesto Lecuona: Second Installment of the Anthology of Cuban Zarzuela Reveals Significances

November 4, 2019

With part of the unknown, forgotten, and rescued work of Master Ernesto Lecuona and librettist Gustavo Sánchez Galarraga, the second installment of the Anthology of Cuban Zarzuela was produced at the Centro Hispanoamericano de Cultura with a packed house.

Leading the musical direction, the young Osmany Hernández demonstrated his realization as both an instrumentalist and researcher, for his respect toward what he does and his admirable arrangements and performances to denote a musical excellence that Cuban lyric art sorely lacks.

A roster of instrumentalists who made up the Trío de cañas Móviles, pianist Arián Alegre and percussion by Manuel Jiménez led the evening through their delivery and well-executed accompaniments that allowed the audience to enjoy the genre in its purest form.

The program, which had countertenor Ubail Zamora in the artistic direction, proposed as a guiding thread a story brought to the reality of the country, which was in no way obstructive; but which at times was lost in its discourse.

It was, however, a journey between fragmented history and musical revue that the audience pleasantly absorbed.

What stood out in this second program was the presence of very young artists who from their initial visions show promising signs of interest in rediscovering the musical heritage, something that enriches every artist and Cuban culture.

It was also pleasant to appreciate how established and emerging figures of the genre harmonized, trying to show the best of themselves. However, effort alone is not enough; expertise is required to understand what each musical and theatrical action is about when interpreting and performing.

Relevant moments were those offered by soprano Dayri Llanes in taking on the romance of Lola Cruz, as well as the duet of Lola and Ricardo alongside tenor Yancel Guevara. It demonstrates that she is growing in each of her presentations, while the maturity and aplomb with her personal ease make her edge authentic and organic, which suggests that we are on the threshold of one of the leading figures of lyric art in the country.

For his part, Yancel Guevara was equal to his duet partner through musical enhancement. He displayed good projection and musicality at all times with complete energy to the point of seeming at moments that we were witnessing the staging, putting and displaying his vocal outpourings while recognizing the Cuban zarzuela lineage.

Baritone Reynaldo Cobas once again demonstrated that he possesses a privileged vocal instrument and studies deeply each score he interprets. He particularly excelled in performing Vuelvo a ti from the zarzuela Sor Inés, with a superb emotional and vocal control that drew strong applause.

Other moments of high merit were in the voices of Reynier Borrego and Félix Román in the duet established by Lecuona for the Salida de Ricardo from the zarzuela Lola Cruz despite some mishaps.

Likewise, Allá en el batey, performed by Ariadna Reyes, enjoyed all the vernacular grace that the artist has inherited with vehemence, seasoned with a high dose of Creole flavor and mastery of the genre in gesture and scenic projection; although she should be careful with the intonation at certain moments.

For her part, soprano Cristina Rodríguez delivered a pleasant and refined interpretation of the romance Sin ti from Sor Inés, not so with the heartfelt Por qué no vienes from Julián el gallo; and it is that one must delve into the interpretation of this emblematic piece, which has enjoyed exquisite interpreters to date.

Other artists were part of the presentation such as Dayamí Pérez, with her well-known skill, on stage through La chancletera de María la O; as well as Merlyn Cruz, who despite the seriousness with which she takes each effort did not show her best performance on this occasion; although she achieved good moments during her time on stage that denote study and respect for the genre.

Also participating in the presentation were tenors Eugenio Hernández, Dioney González and soprano Lucía Llanes who will continue to grow in future presentations.

An obligatory finale through the emblematic Damisela encantadora brought the close of an audition that managed to demonstrate the musical excellence of instrumentalists alongside the disparate vocal performances, something recurring since the first audition.

All are grateful for the rescue of part of the heritage that zarzuela represents, among all Cuban music.