saw this wonderful mexican-american, multi-media opera at the eastman theatre today and loved every minute of it.
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Daniel J. Kushner: In the opera, Soprano Tony Arnold plays the character known as “the author,” who battles the demons of writer’s block in an attempt to create lasting and meaningful art. Among the other characters are what Sánchez-Gutiérrez describes as “amorphous creatures,” ideas not yet fully formed that act as a kind of choir in support of the drama. The puppets and costumes featured in “Don’t Blame Anyone” (“No Se Culpe a Nadie” in Spanish) are fantastical and imbued with a cryptic surrealism.
While the visuals — somewhat similar in tone to those in the Guillermo del Toro film “Pan’s Labyrinth” — are a little discomforting, they’re also profoundly imaginative and fascinating. Adding to that the musical styles of both composers, the visceral combines with the otherworldly in a way that accentuates a sense of wonder, mysticism, and even dread.
This ambitious artistic endeavor benefits from the official involvement of the Mexican government — amid an American political landscape blanketed with the long shadow of Donald Trump-era, anti-immigrant discrimination and xenophobia. The operatic premiere begins to take on a major cultural significance in Rochester and beyond. More here.