Houston Grand Opera debuted the world's first
mariachi opera and after a successful run in Paris it returns home to Houston
in March of 2013.
Cruzar la Cara de la Luna is a dynamic and
inspirational work that captures the nature of the immigrant experience.
Written by composer and writer José “Pepe” Martínez (music director of the
world famous Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán) and directed by Broadway
director and author Leonard Foglia, who also wrote the lyrics, Cruzar la Cara
de la Luna is a fusion of the traditions of mariachi songs and opera, both of
which speak through music about love and loss, family and country.
How did you come out with an idea like this and what were
the challenges you encountered when you translated the immigrant experience
into opera and mariachi music?
Anthony Freud, the General Director of HGO at the time,
first had the idea to try to find a way to use mariachi music for the opera
stage. It fell to me to come up with a story that would have meaning for the
Mexican-American community in Houston. And I knew immediately that if the style
of the music was to be mariachi then I had to steer away from anything overtly
political and that the story being told would have to be an emotional one
The immigration is a phenomenon that has been present in the US for many
years. However, there was always the doubt about the community´s capacity to
appreciate this kind of cultural expression. What are your thoughts on this?
We are at a time in our history, here in the US, when the
issue of immigration is front and center. Just a few days ago the President
mentioned it in his Inaugural address. But part of the problem is that so many
people look at it as just an ‘issue’. That’s why I chose to tell a very
specific personal story of a family. I wanted to show the faces behind the
discussion.
Will you be producing more shows of this nature?
With Mariachi? Right now nothing is planned. But I would
like to.
Cruzar la Cara de la Luna set a new benchmark in operatic storytelling,
why is so?
When I was first interviewing different immigrants about
their lives and wondering myself about the use of this type of music I would
ask – tell me what comes to mind when I mention mariachi music – and the answer
that struck me the most was – home. So, I knew if we were starting from a place
where there is already an emotional attachment to a style of music then we were
the ones taking a step toward a community by offering something that already
had meaning for them. We are not only saying that your story belongs up on this
stage but so does your music.
You had a successful season in Paris. Can you share with us your
experiences there? Did you go to any other place in Europe?
The most startling moment in Paris, which has no history of
mariachi music and to my knowledge is not invested in the Mexican-American
experience at all, came from a comment by one of the administrators of the
theater. She decided to bring her children to a performance and with them was
their Croatian nanny. When the administrator went to see how her children liked
the performance she found that the nanny was crying. When asked why the
performance affected her so much the nanny said, “It’s my story.”
What made you take the decision to come back to Houston?
We are hoping that those who missed it the first time round,
and not just those in the Hispanic community, will have the opportunity now.