Named after the Palacio de la Zarzuela near Madrid, this early form of Spanish musical theatre emerged as early as the 17th century, developing in parallel with Italian opera. Related to vaudeville, farce and operetta, hundreds of these entertaining and spectacular works were composed within the space of a few decades. The genre, which had increasingly fallen into obscurity, was not revived until the mid-19th century, yet it remains neglected on theatre programmes to this day. Star director Christof Loy, who is a passionate advocate of the zarzuela, is staging an evening’s performance at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

“Essentially, zarzuela is synonymous with musical theatre in Spanish, encompassing all the richness that the term musical theatre – as found in classical opera and operetta guides – implies in the rest of the world. From the early to the high Baroque, through Singspiel, comic and serious operas, verismo dramas with and without spoken text, right up to musicals and revues with loose plotlines … all of that, in Spanish alone. Why none of these works has found its way into the international musical theatre canon remains a mystery to me.” – Christof Loy

The event is dedicated to the legendary soprano Pilar Lorengar [1928–1996], who began her career as a young singer in zarzuela and was engaged by the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1958 onwards. As an acclaimed member of the ensemble, she performed on stage here from the theatre’s opening night at Bismarckstraße in 1961 until the end of her career. read less