Inaugurated in 1856 and located in the heart of the city of Madrid, the Teatro de La Zarzuela will be the new stage for Patagonia, the opera with music by Sebastián Errázuriz and libretto by Rodrigo Ossandón, co-produced by Teatro Biobío and Teatro del Lago. Two years after its world premiere in Frutillar and Concepción, the work that addresses the arrival of Hernando Magellan’s expedition to America debuts in Spain with performances on February 21, 22 and 23, 2025.
“It is unprecedented and a source of pride that a creation and scenic production born in the south of Chile is circulating at this level, and is related to Teatro Biobío’s commitment to promoting artistic projects that generate regional, national and international impact. This occurs when a scenic work is created that resonates with audiences both for its aesthetic proposal and for its narrative, in this case, a story that offers a different look at the arrival of Europeans to America. And it is also the result of virtuous collaborative work, both with the opera’s artistic team and the institutions that we have been a part of, especially the theaters that have trusted Patagonia after its premiere: the Municipal de Las Condes, the Cervantes Theater in Buenos Aires and now La Zarzuela,” says Francisca Peró, executive director of Teatro Biobío.
Created in Chile during the pandemic, within the framework of the commemoration of the 500 years of Magellan’s expedition, “Patagonia” recounts the meeting of the Aonikkenk or Tehuelche community with the crew of the Portuguese navigator, from the point of view of the Patagonian territory . Since its world premiere in March 2022, the opera has been presented at the Teatro del Lago, in two seasons at the Teatro Biobío, at the Teatro Municipal de Las Condes and in the programming of the Teatro Cervantes in Buenos Aires. In addition, the production has received important recognitions such as Best New Latin American Production, for Ópera XXI and Ópera Latinoamérica, and Best Opera Staging, by the Chilean Art Critics Circle.
“It is tremendous news for the performing arts and for Chilean and Latin American music. There are few Latin American musical theater works that have been presented beyond our borders. We are fulfilling the dream of being able to show this work in Europe, especially in Spain, which is where Magellan’s expedition departed from. Patagonia was born from the question: how did the original inhabitants of the south of the world experience the encounter with this expedition 500 years ago? A contemporary Tehuelche woman who is beginning to recognize herself as the heir of this practically extinct culture, she is the one who carries the thread of this history reconstructed with fragments of the memory of her people,” comments Sebastián Errázuriz, composer from Patagonia.
The premiere of Patagonia at the La Zarzuela Theater is part of a renewed commitment by said organization to establish solid and stable ties with theaters in America. “For me it is an honor that the opera Patagonia is invited this season, a production by two theaters in southern Chile, Teatro Biobío and Teatro del Lago, and awarded by Ópera XXI as the Best Latin American Opera of 2023. In Madrid it will be directed by its composer, Sebastián Errázuriz, and the original Chilean singers who sang in this production at its premiere. Furthermore, Marcelo Lombardero’s staging is very interesting. I am happy to have the play Patagonia with its original performers here in Madrid,” says Isamay Benavente, director of the Teatro de La Zarzuela.
Evelyn Ramírez (mezzo-soprano), Marcela González (soprano), Nicolás Fontecilla (tenor), Sergio Gallardo (bass-baritone), María Paz Grandjean (actress), Francisco Arrázola (actor and dancer), Manuel Páez (percussionist) and Sebastián Errázuriz, Together with the stage team led by Marcelo Lombardero and professionals from the Teatro Biobío, they will travel to Madrid in February 2025 for the premiere of the production in Spain, in what will be the first collaboration between the Teatro de La Zarzuela and Chile.
“Patagonia’s debut in Spain symbolizes the fruit of collaborative efforts and the spirit of cooperation that we seek to foster from Biobío. This milestone not only exalts our region but also establishes a precedent for future international collaborations, allowing artistic expressions from southern Chile to be ambassadors of our history and values. Through these initiatives, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting arts and culture as the seed of a future creative industry,” concludes the Regional Governor of Biobío, Rodrigo Díaz.
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