It has been almost 60 years since the composer Astor Piazzolla and the librettist Horacio Ferrer staged their tango opera *María de Buenos Aires* in the Argentine capital in 1968. The work is still regarded today as a tribute to the tango. Now, students from the University of Oldenburg and the University of the Arts Bremen are staging it together. Tickets are still available for the performances on 12, 13 and 14 July, all at 8.00 pm at the Theater Laboratorium.
Outside on the campus, the sun bathes the buildings of the former University of Education in summery light on this Saturday at the end of June. Despite the weather being perfect for an outdoor swim, things are in full swing inside the auditorium. Around 15 music students are having a rehearsal weekend: this year, the university is staging the tango opera ‘Maria de Buenos Aires’ by Astor Piazzolla, the famous Argentine tango composer. Some of the young men and women are slipping on white lab coats – they’re appearing as ghosts in the play – whilst others are fanning themselves. As a suitcase is opened, the chatter falls silent. Everyone waits eagerly to see what Nae Matakas, a student at the Bremen University of the Arts, has brought with her. The Brazilian-born student pulls out a winter coat, a painter’s overalls and a golden tray – costumes and props to be used in the performance. There are only a few days left until the premiere.
The opera tells the story of María, a woman from Buenos Aires who has chosen the tango as her language. Her life’s journey unfolds between reality and fantasy: from her childhood through her time as a prostitute to her death and her return as a ghost. She is accompanied by other ghosts who, as the voices of the city, narrate, reflect and lament. The plot is set in Buenos Aires in the 1960s. It was a time when the city was characterised, on the one hand, by economic growth and, on the other, by dictatorship and resistance.
Argentine tango is the real star of the show. “It’s rarely quiet – the music runs through almost the entire performance, even during spoken passages,” emphasises Volker Schindel, project leader and artistic staff member at the Institute of Music, specialising in ‘Music, Performance and Theatre’. A total of around 25 people are involved in the production. An eleven-piece instrumental ensemble, in which students perform alongside professional musicians, accompanies the singers. The role of María is played by Marija Jokovic, an opera singer who also frequently performs at the Oldenburg State Theatre. One of the leading male roles is played by a singing student from Oldenburg: “For me, it’s a privilege to sing with Marija and to work alongside the professionals. I can learn a great deal,” says Jan-Daniel Moulai, who, amongst other roles, plays the character of ‘El Gorríon’, one of María’s admirers.
Melancholic tones and a unique instrument
Joaquín Alem is the musical director of the project. The Argentine-born musician and composer is a lecturer at the university and a master of the bandoneon, an instrument regarded as the heart of the tango. This hand-pumped instrument belongs to the group of harmonica-type instruments and, with its melancholic tones, defines the style of ‘Tango Nuevo’, which Piazzolla pioneered.
For the students acting as singers and performers, the Spanish language in which the piece is written presents the greatest challenge. “I do have some prior knowledge from school, which helps me, but the pronunciation is a problem for many of us,” says Paul Sethmann, for example, who is studying chemistry and music to become a teacher. Even Juan López Lemos, who is studying for a Master’s in ‘Engineering of Socio-Technical Systems’ in Oldenburg rather than music, does not understand all the metaphors or slang expressions, despite being a native Spanish speaker from Uruguay. “Often, though, I can still work them out from the context,” explains the student, who shares the role of the spirit “El Duende” with a fellow student. For him, taking part in the play has a special significance: “Tango is part of my culture and I love representing it.”
The set design, created by Nae Matakas, is deliberately minimalist. “We work a lot with light projections,” says the Bremen-based vocal student, who is also responsible for the costumes and co-directs the production with Volker Schindel. In her view, the Theater Laboratorium is a good venue for the tango opera: “Small, vintage and dreamy – that has a lot to do with tango too.” As a Brazilian, Nae is familiar with the Argentine capital; tango has been a part of her life since childhood. She is passionately involved in the current production: “I love staging productions and the work behind the scenes,” she says. She enjoys having all the details in her head – for example, the exact sequence of the play, or who needs to be on stage and when.
Audiences can look forward to a production that will be “emotional, surreal and enigmatic all at once”, according to Schindel. Work on the project began last winter semester and will culminate in the performance, an event which everyone involved is already eagerly looking forward to. The eleven-piece instrumental ensemble plays a major part in this.
