El Limonero real

Chamber opera by Ezequiel Menalled

A transposition of Juan José Saer’s eponymous novel, and a landmark work in Argentinian literature, The ‘Royal Lemon Tree’ narrates the journey of Wenceslao, in his late fifties, in an insular setting in the Santa Fe Province during the last day of the year. As time and the River Paraná flow by, grey areas begin to fill the frame of the narrative: Wenceslao goes to the family meal alone, as his wife refuses to leave the house since their son died. He himself is as present to the surrounding elements as he is absent to social life, gradually trying to share with us this “space within.”

Taking the most Joycean novel written by Juan José Saer as a starting point and aesthetic reference, renowned actress and director Maricel Alvarez and argentinian composer Ezequiel Menalled join creative forces to produce this chamber opera, a project commissioned and presented by the Colón Theater’s Experimentation Center (CETC).

A project commissioned and presented by the Colón Theater’s Experimentation Center (CETC). EL LIMONERO REAL received the RFI-Radio Cultura Award (given by the French Embassy and the Buenos Aires City Government) for Best Production of the year 2015.

Composer & Musical conductor:
Ezequiel Menalled

Staged & directed by:
Maricel Alvarez

Libretto:
Fernando Regueira

Cast:
Esteban Manzano (Tenor), Alejandro Spies (Baritone), Virginia Correa Dupuy (Mezzo Soprano), Luca Zubieta, Virginia Majorel (Soprano), Juan Francisco Ramirez (Tenor), Tomás Catania / Son

Musicians:
Ensemble Modelo62: Gemma Tripiana Muñoz / Flute, Jorge López García / Clarinet, Justin Christensen / Trompet, Klára Andrlová / Percussion / Teodora Stepančić / Piano, Elliot Simpson / Electric Guitar, Rebecca Huber / Violin, Jan Willem Troost / Violoncello, Vasilis Stefanopoulos / Double Bass

Artistic team:
Set: Julieta Potenze / Lights: Agnese Lozupone / Costumes: Belén Parra / Graphic design: Leandro Ibarra / Video: Natalia Labaké / Post-production & Animation: Nicolás Dardano / Photo: Nora Lezano / Sound engineer: Fernando Taverna / Musical coach: Diego Ruiz / Performance photos: Maximo Parpagnoli / Assistant to the director: Ezequiel Steinman / Assistant to the executive producer: Lucila Michan / Executive producer: Nadia Estebanez / Composer and musical conductor: Ezequiel Menalled / Staging, directed by Maricel Alvarez