Zarzuela opera for the students of Castilian language in Instituto Hemingway Bilbao

At Instituto Hemingway we have organised another cultural activity for students studying on our Spanish courses. This week, on the 27th January 2010 we will meet at the Arriaga theatre to experience the famous Zarzuela titled El Barberillo de Lavapiés.

The Zarzuela is a Spanish musical genre which became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. Zarzuelas are still very popular in Spain and many of their songs are known by everybody and form part of popular culture. Zarzuela by definition is a form of theatrical music, or a genre of music composed for the stage which emerged in Spain and has instrumental elements, vocal elements, (solos, duos, chorus…) and spoken elements. Zarzuela differs from opera in that it is sung on Spanish, and it includes spoken sections as opposed to the predictable recitations of opera.
El Barberillo de Lavapiés is the name of opera that we will be going to hear on the 27th January.

Madrid, 1770. The Spanish king is Charles III. Political intrigue is all the rage, from the Marquis of Esquilache to the Count of Aranda to Grimaldi and the Count of Floridablanca. This is the backdrop of two love stories: those of plebeians Paloma and Lamparilla, and nobles La Marquesita Estrella (from Floridablanca’s side) and Don Luis de Haro (Grimaldi’s nephew). After a thousand and one vicissitudes, Grimaldi is toppled and Floridablanca takes over power. Bliss comes then to Madrid in general and to the couples in the story.