La Bella Susona
About the Event
Immerse yourself in the stunning architecture of Seville's breathtaking Teatro de la Maestranza for a captivating opera that will awaken your understanding of the art.
Love and Betrayal in a Legendary Seville is set in the Jewish quarter of the Santa Cruz neighborhood, near Plaza de Doña Elvira. During the exclusion of the Hebrew community by the Christians in 1481, a Jewish conspiracy was hatched. The plot aimed to seize control of the city and, with the help of the Muslims, drive the Christians out of Seville. La Bella Susona, the opera, tells the story and legend of Susana Ben Susón, a beautiful Jewish girl from Seville in the 15th century.
Susona betrays her father, Diego Susón, leader of the plot, by revealing the plan to her Christian lover, a knight of noble lineage. The conspirators are arrested and executed. Condemned by her people, Susona converts to Christianity, only to be scorned by this new group that includes her beloved. Crushed by the consequences of her actions, La Susona retreats to a convent and orders that her head be displayed above the door of her house after her death.
Composer Alberto Carretero describes La Bella Susona as a story of love, betrayal, and redemption, seamlessly blending her operatic persona with the Jewish and Muslim worlds of that era. The opera pays homage to Seville as the city of opera.
Alberto Carretero, a composer and professor of composition at the Manuel Castillo Higher Music Conservatory of Seville, is internationally acclaimed for his music. He is a musicologist, computer science engineer, journalist, and holds a PhD in Performing Arts. Carretero has received numerous awards, including the INJUVE and the Leonardo (Music and Opera) scholarship of the BBVA Foundation. His music has premiered in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, IRCAM‐Centro Pompidou in Paris, and the Wien Modern Festival in Vienna.
La Bella Susona makes its world premiere at the Teatro de la Maestranza. Under the musical direction of Nacho de Paz — who conducts the ROSS — and the dramaturgy of Carlos Wagner, this collaboration between Teatro de la Maestranza and the Auditorio de Tenerife (Canary Islands) promises an exceptional performance. Daisy Press, Luis Cansino, and José Luis Sola lead the cast for La Bella Susona, marking the first world premiere of an opera composed by a Sevillian at the Teatro de la Maestranza.
World premiere
Libretto by Rafael Puerto
Cast / Production
Musical director: Nacho de Paz
Dramaturgy: Carlos Wagner y Alejandro Andújar
Lighting design: Albert Faura
Sound engineer: Sylvain Cadars
Susona: Daisy Press
Aben Susón (Diego Susón): Luis Cansino
Guzmán: José Luis Sola
Pulgar: Federico Fiorio
Sor Gregoria: Marina Pardo
Diego de Merlo: Andrés Merino
Commission by the Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra (ROSS) In collaboration with the Auditorio de Tenerife (Canary Islands)
Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra
Coro Teatro de la Maestranza
