Falstaff
Orquesta Sinfónica, Coro y Plan de formación teatral de la Universidad de Navarra

  Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 Apr,
  19.30 h
  29€*
*Discounts for employees (23.2€), University students (18.20€), Carnet Joven (18.20€) and other reduced rates applied at the time of purchase.
MUN Theatre

THE PLAY
A lyric comedy in three acts with music by Giuseppe Verdi and libretto by Arrigo Boito.

Falstaff, Verdi's last operatic creation, is a masterpiece of comic opera, a celebration of wit and humor. With a libretto by Arrigo Boito, this opera is inspired by Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV. The story follows the wacky adventures of Sir John Falstaff, a roguish and shameless knight who seeks to conquer two married women to improve his economic situation.

The libretto mixes comedy, irony and a sharp analysis of human relationships, reflecting on universal and ever-present themes, such as vanity, greed, forgiveness and redemption, through laughter. Falstaff is not only a feast of music and comedy, but also a reflection on life itself, full of optimism.

CROSS-CUTTING PROJECTS

Since 2022, the MUN through the Campus Creativo area seeks to involve as many students as possible in its programming, coming from different faculties and centers of the University.

La Zarzuela de los Paraguas was the first project. In addition to the University of Navarra Symphony Orchestra and Choir and the Theater Training Plan, it involved students from the School of Communication and the School of Architecture.

In 2023, with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, a large participative choir was added to the usual artistic work, including the Youth Section of the Orfeón Pamplonés and the Youth Choir of the Community of Madrid. The concert was presented at the MUN Theater and also at the Symphonic Hall of the National Auditorium of Madrid, to great critical and public acclaim.

In 2024, a step forward was taken with the programming of the first opera at the MUN: Tosca, by G. Puccini. This production was the starting point to undertake now this great premiere, Falstaff, by Verdi.

SYNOPSIS BY ACTS

Act I
Sir John Falstaff, an aging and gluttonous knight, devises a plan to fill his pockets by courting two wealthy Windsor women: Alice Ford and Meg Page. To this end, he sends identical love letters to both. However, the women, close friends, quickly discover his ruse and decide to teach him a lesson. On the other hand, Ford, Alice's husband, becomes suspicious and plots his own strategy to unmask Falstaff.

Act II
Convinced of his irresistible charm, Falstaff goes on a date with Alice at her house. The women, witty and determined, set in motion an amusing plan to humiliate him. Meanwhile, Ford, in disguise, tries to get information from Falstaff about his supposed affair with Alice, causing hilarious confusion.

Act III
Despite his failures, Falstaff does not give up. The women organize one last deception: they invite him to an evening rendezvous in Windsor Forest. There, disguised as fantastic creatures, all the characters conspire to ridicule him. However, Falstaff, true to his character, takes the situation with humor and recognizes that, in life, we are all a source of ridicule at some time. The opera culminates in a brilliant choral fugue that celebrates wit, laughter and humanity.

BIOGRAPHIES
Borja Quintas, musical director

The prolific conductor Borja Quintas has conducted some of the most important ensembles in the world, such as the London Symphony Orchestra or the New Russia Symphony Orchestra, always combining the symphonic and lyrical worlds, and accompanying soloists of the stature of Plácido Domingo, Javier Camarena, Ainhoa Arteta or María Bayo.

Strongly committed to young symphonic ensembles as a driving force for artistic and social change, he is currently Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad de Navarra, Orquesta Sinfónica, Coro y Escolanía JMJ and Orquesta Sinfónica UCAM. He also teaches at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón and at the Centro Superior Katarina Gurska, where he directs the Master in Conducting.

Trained entirely as a conductor at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, he develops his artistic activity mainly in Russia and Spain, although he has performed in most European capitals and in Middle Eastern countries such as Azerbaijan, Georgia or Kyrgyzstan.

Liuba Cid, stage director

Doctor cum laude in Arts and Humanities from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Master in Performing Arts. Graduated from the Universidad de las Artes de Cuba in the specialties of Stage Direction and Interpretation. Interim professor and researcher at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid. She is also an academician of the Performing Arts of Spain. She has completed her training as a stage director in Italy, Germany, the United States and Latin America, with personalities of international prestige. She won the Award for Best Staging and Best Stage Space at the Chicago American Community Theatre Festival (1994).

He has directed more than 50 theatrical productions, with special dedication to the contemporary reading of the classics of the Golden Age, with premieres in Festivals of reference: International Festival of Classical Theatre of Almagro, Olmedo Classical, FIT of Cadiz, Festival of Classical Theatre of Caceres, Festival Castell de Peralada, etc..

His shows have been staged at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Teatro Calderón in Valladolid, Palacio de Festivales in Santander, Auditorio Kursaal in San Sebastián, Teatro Apolo in Madrid, Teatro Galileo in Madrid, Teatro Falla in Cádiz, Miami Dade County Auditorium, Cairo Opera House and Opera of Alexandria, among others.

Currently, she collaborates with the University of Navarra and the University of Granada as a researcher and specialist in scenography, stage direction and theater training. Since 2009, she directs the company Mephisto Teatro, which integrates actors, designers and choreographers from all over Europe, Latin America and Spain.

Omar Kamata (Falstaff) - baritone

Omar Kamata graduated in singing at the Conservatory of Vicenza and won international competitions, such as the Toti Dal Monte and the Alfano Lyric Competition (broadcast on RAI UNO).

A versatile voice, he is called upon to play leading roles in a wide repertoire, from Il Barbiere di Siviglia to Don Giovanni, including L'elisir d'amore, La Bohème, Rigoletto and Otello. She has been the protagonist of world premieres and rediscoveries of rare operas.

He has collaborated with prestigious conductors and regists and has performed in theaters such as the Royal Opera House Muscat, the Greek National Opera, the Petruzzelli Theatre in Bari, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Art Center in Suel.

He has participated in festivals such as the Arena of Verona, the International Festival of Aspendos and the Epidaurus Festival of Athens. His career has taken him to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, America and Australia.

Nomachi Tomohiro (Ford) - baritone

Tomohiro Nomachi is a Japanese baritone born in Kochi and currently living in Italy. He trained at the Tokyo University of the Arts, where he obtained his Bachelor and Master's degrees in Lyric Singing under the tutelage of Kazuko Nagai. Subsequently, he perfected his technique at the Opera Studio of the New National Theatre Tokyo, with Jun Aguni.

His operatic career includes outstanding performances on stages in Japan and Italy. He has performed roles such as Masetto and Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Conte in Le nozze di Figaro and Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana. In recent years, he has participated in European productions such as Tosca (Scarpia) in Milan and Silvano (Renzo) in Livorno.

With a solid vocal technique and refined dramatic expressiveness, Nomachi continues to consolidate her career on the international opera scene.

Julen Jimenez (Fenton) - tenor

He received his professional training as a performer at the Pablo Sarasate Professional Conservatory of Music in Pamplona, after which he entered the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid.

In the operatic field, he has staged roles such as Silango in Le Cinesi, or Bob, Jonah and the emperor Badulio in A Christmas Carol, The Pied Piper of Hamelin and The Emperor's New Clothes by Íñigo Casalí; and has participated in opera productions of Fundación Baluarte as Manon Lescaut, Un ballo in maschera or La Bohème; and in the MUN production of Tosca , as Spotellta. In zarzuela, he has played roles such as Fernando Soler in Doña Francisquita, Txomin in El Caserío or Juan de Dios in La Chulapona, as well as Dato in the recovery of San Franco del Sena by Emilio Arrieta, in Baluarte. In oratorio, he has interpreted the tenor soloist parts of Mozart's Requiem and the Great Mass in C minor, Gounod's Solemn Mass of St. Cecilia or Mendelssohn's Lobgesang .

Enrique Ferrer (Dr Cajus) - tenor

He began his musical studies at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid in the singing department of Maestro Pedro Lavirgen, and was awarded a scholarship by The Academy of Vocal Arts, in Philadelphia, where he graduated in lyrical art. He later perfected his studies in Milan.

He has been awarded in several singing competitions such as Logroño, Jaume Aragall in Barcelona, Ernesto Lecuona in Havana and Luciano Pavarotti in Philadelphia.

He is a regular singer in the main Spanish, European and American theaters and auditoriums where he develops a remarkable repertoire of opera, zarzuela and oratorio.

He has collaborated with the record label Deutsche Grammophon in the Zarzuela Viva Madrid album and made for the record label Bongiovanni the DVD recording of the opera La leggenda di Sakuntala, by F. Alfano, performed live at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania.

Guiomar Cantó (Alice Ford) - soprano

He made his debut at the Teatro Real in the opera Carmen and starred as Gretel in the production of Hansel and Gretel at the Real Teatro del Retiro. At the Auditorio Nacional, he has presented works such as Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation and the Mahler's Second Symphony. She has been awarded the Puccini and Bumbry Prize at the Grandi Voci Competition (2019) in Salzburg, the Excellence Award at the Hariclea Darclée International Competition (2017) in Romania, and the Ferrer-Salat Prize at the Francesco Viñas Competition (2016).

He has participated in international festivals such as the Rossini Festival in Bad Wildbad, the Festival Outono Lirico in Vigo and the Festival Guadix Clásica. He has worked with renowned orchestras, including the Orquesta Sinfónica de Málaga, the Orquesta Filarmonía, the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, the Orquesta Virtuosi Brunensis, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga or the Orquesta Sinfónica de la UCAM.

In addition to her performances at the Teatro Real, the Auditorio Nacional and the Teatro de la Zarzuela, she has played leading roles in La bohème, La traviata, L'elisir d'amore, Il viaggio a Reims, Don Giovanni, Hänsel und Gretel, Die Zauberflöte, Carmen, Les contes d'Hoffmann and Trouble in Tahiti . She has also performed in numerous zarzuelas as a leading role: inLa revoltosa, El bateo, Los gavilanes or La verbena de la paloma, among others.

Carolina Bardas (Meg Page) - mezzo-soprano

Born in Buenos Aires, she studied operatic singing at the Manuel de Falla Conservatory and at the University of Arts. Subsequently, she completed a master's degree specializing in opera at the Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, under the guidance of tenor Eduard Giménez and soprano Mariana Ortiz.

As a soloist, she has performed roles such as Cherubino(Le nozze di Figaro), Clarina(Cámbiale di Matrimonio), second and third lady(The Magic Flute) and Giannetta(L'elisir d'amore).

As a chorister, she has worked in theaters such as the Teatro Colón, the Teatro Real, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Opera of Oviedo and the Auditorio de Tenerife. She is currently working in the Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid.

María Luisa Corbacho (Mrs. Quickly) - mezzo-soprano

He began his career at the Teatre Principal in Palma de Mallorca. He has worked with director Emilio Sagi or with La fura dels Baus, among other great names. She has played roles such as Santuzza (Cavalleria rustiscana, Mascagni), Grandmother (Brief lifeFalla); by Puccini: Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), Zitta (Gianni Schicchi), Suzuki (Madame Butterfly); by Verdi: Azucena (Il Trovatore), Amneris (Aida), Fenena (Nabucco), and Quickly (Falstaff).

She has also been Beltrana(Doña Francisquita, by Vives), Adriana(Los Gavilanes, Guerrero), Paloma (El barberillo de Lavapiés-Barbieri). She has sung Mozart's Requiem , Verdi's Requiem , Mahler's Eighth Symphony, Stravinsky's Marriage, Alexander Nevsky and Prokofiev's Ivan the Terrible .

She has been invited by the Teatro Real, La Maestranza, Teatro Campoamor, Staatstheater Cottbus, Palacio Eskalduna, Auditorio Baluarte, Teatro Cervantes de Málaga, Associació Amics de l'Òpera de Sabadell, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro de la Zarzuela or Palau de la Música de Valencia.

Aida Turganbayeva (Nanetta) - soprano

He has perfected his art at prestigious institutions such as the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid, the Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Tartini in Trieste and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.

With a vast stage experience, he has performed in renowned theaters such as the Teatro Real, the Teatro Retiro in Madrid, and the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, as well as the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg (Russia). He has also participated in international festivals such as the Piccolo Opera Festival in Gorizia.

She has played leading roles in zarzuelas and operas, such as Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore , Frasquita in Bizet's Carmen , Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte, and l'enfant in Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges .

Jose Miguel Baena (Bardolfo) - tenor

He began his training in Germany. He made his debut in 2007 as a baritone in the part of Giorgio Germont from La Traviata at the Gran Teatro de La Habana. She has sung roles such as Michele (Il Tabarro), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Noah (Noah's FluddeBritten), and Papageno (The magic flute) and performed oratorio works such as Carmina Burana (with a production by La Fura dels Baus), the Messiah by Händel and the Requiem by Mozart and Fauré, under the baton of conductors such as Michael Thomas, Borja Quintas, Sergio Alapont and José Luis Temes.

He is currently working on vocal technique and tenor repertoire with Dale Fundling, in roles such as Otello, Canio, Chénier, Siegmund, Florestán and Lohengrin. As an actor he trained at the Corazza Studio, and has worked with La Zaranda, the Kamin Theater of Moscow and the Tribueñe Company. As a librettist and narrator he has premiered Moby Dick at the Museo Reina Sofía (CNDM), and has recorded Gargantúa, for chamber orchestra and narrator.

Armando del Hoyo (Pistola) - bass guitar

He began his musical studies at the Conservatorio Antonio de Cabezón (Burgos) and continued at the Conservatorio Superior de Madrid.

Among the numerous roles he has performed are Timur from Turandot, in Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Don Basilio from The Barber of Seville, at the Flemish Festival of Mechelen Kortenberg (Belgium); Gremin from Eugene Oneguin, in St. Petersburg (Russia); Sparafucile, from Rigoletto, at the Teatro Gran Vía Madrid and the Teatro Real; or the servant of Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier (Strauss), at the Teatro de la Zarzuela. He has toured national theaters with the operas Aida, Tosca and Madame Butterfly.

He is currently the artistic director of the galas of the monastery of Santa Maria de Rioseco, the Gala of Medina de Pomar and the creator of the Festival Lírico de los Balcones.

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