A mariachi opera: I'm frequently asked if there's anything interesting coming up on the Twin Cities classical music scene but don't recall ever having a phrase uniformly inspire more surprise and curiosity.
Review: Minnesota Opera's 'Cruzar la Cara de la Luna' is an exciting and deeply moving tale
The opera tackles identity and the intergenerational struggles of a Mexican-American family.
For the Minnesota Star Tribune
November 6, 2023 at 3:42PM
Even those with the most cursory interest in opera have marveled that there's such a thing as taking the Mexican folk music of mariachi and applying it to the European art form of theatrically telling a story through song. But if you've listened to much mariachi music, you know it tends to be very dramatic, romantic and overflowing with emotion, as is opera. Both are about unleashing the heart.
And so is Minnesota Opera's season-opening production of "Cruzar la Cara de la Luna," which means "To Cross the Face of the Moon." It's a triumphant synthesis of all that's great about both opera and mariachi music, but also disarmingly prescient in its modern-day story of immigration and a family divided. You may succeed in keeping operas of the 18th or 19th centuries at an emotional distance, but these characters feel very much like they could be your relatives or neighbors. And that makes the story all the more moving.
"Cruzar la Cara de la Luna" was composed by a legend of mariachi music, José "Pepe" Martínez, who died in 2016, but not before premiering this work in 2010 and collaborating again with librettist Leonard Foglia on another mariachi opera. Among those involved with this work since its beginnings is David Hanlon, who's conducting his own new orchestrations for this production, successfully translating a style usually performed by a dozen musicians or fewer to the full sound of a 48-piece orchestra.
Yet it opens very quietly, as we meet Laurentino, a Mexican-born man living out his final days in Texas and consumed with memories of the life he left behind when taking work in the U.S. In flashbacks filled with memorable melodies, we see how the quest for economic stability fractures a family and a community.
At about 80 minutes long, "Cruzar la Cara de la Luna" might set the operatic record for how quickly it can break your heart. But it also bursts with exuberant joy in scenes as big as a rollicking wedding reception and as intimate and touching as a mother coaxing her son to dance.
Minnesota Opera is fortunate to have many of the performers who originated the lead roles and have taken the work to some of America's major opera houses. As Laurentino, Octavio Moreno proves convincing across the decades, his baritone voice bearing both tenderness and power. And Cecilia Duarte proves the story's emotional anchor as his wife, Renata, her arias invariably captivating.
As the son with whom Laurentino seeks to reunite, Efraín Corralejo delivers some of the opera's most emotional singing on arresting conflict-driven duets with Moreno and Efraín Solis. And as Renata's supportive friend, Vanessa Alonzo consistently demonstrates what masterful mariachi singing sounds like, smoothly transitioning between tones earthy and ethereal.
Performed on Arnulfo Maldonado's vividly colorful set, "Cruzar la Cara de la Luna" is far more than an adventurous fusion of styles. It's one of the most exciting and deeply involving productions that Minnesota Opera has presented so far this century.
Minnesota Opera's 'Cruzar la Cara de la Luna'
When: 7:30 p.m. Thu. and Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.
Where: Ordway Music Theater, 345 Washington St., St. Paul
Tickets: $26-$239, 612-333-6669 or mnopera.org
Rob Hubbard is a Twin Cities classical music writer. Reach him at wordhub@yahoo.com.
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