“La vida es sueño …en música” offers a new way of approaching Calderón’s work. The aim is not simply to set the text to music, but to retain nearly nine hundred of the original verses and combine them with 17th-century Iberian music, creating a kind of theatrical interplay between words and music.

With the guidance of specialist Ignacio Arellano, the production focuses on its two main conflicts: the clash between desire and self-control, and the dilemma between power and freedom. Thus, the action centers on three key characters—Basilio, Rosaura, and Segismundo—played by Eva Rufo, Jesús Noguero, and Eduardo Mayo, three actors who guide us through the drama, while the music, selected by Albert Recasens and Josep Barcons, features composers such as Juan Hidalgo, Carlos Patiño, and Sebastián Durón. Through the music, a cast of singers and instrumentalists sets the mood for the scenes, paraphrases the dramatic action, and interacts with the characters as a chorus would.

The result is this original production by La Grande Chapelle, with musical direction by Albert Recasens and stage direction by Eva Rufo, produced by the Espurnes Barroques Festival in collaboration with the Almagro International Classical Theater Festival.

More info: https://www.festivaldealmagro.com/programa/la-vida-es-sueno-en-musica/#ficha