El Pintor

(Opera in 3 Acts)

Commissioned for the 200th Anniversary of Teatro Real (Madrid) by Teatro Real & Teatros del Canal

6 Soloists, Choir & Symphony Orchestra (2 hours, 50 min.)

Opera based on the life of Picasso, that explores the life of the artist, from the moment when he arrived to Paris, his work, the women around him and his influence in the art world well beyond his death.

Premiered Feb. 8th, 2018 at Teatros del Canal (Madrid)

Composer: Juan J. Colomer

Libretto & Director: Albert Boadella

Music Director: Manuel Coves

Choreography: Blanca Li

Orquesta titular del Teatro Real (Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid)

Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid. Conductor: Félix Redondo

Main roles for the premiere:

El pintor: Alejandro del Cerro

Mefisto: Josep Miquel Ramón

Fernande: Belén Roig

Apollinaire/Velázquez: Toni Comas

Gertrude Stein: Cristina Faus

Jefe de tribu: Iván García

“The most gifted brush of the 20th century was also the one who dealt the final blow to painting. Like an Attila of the arts, painting never grew again in his wake. He transformed it into "plastic arts" devoted to intensive production.

Five, ten, twenty works a day, and the financial market surrendered to him, exalted and euphoric. With his prodigious cunning and the unwavering support of his political allies, he managed to be lauded by the media as the supreme genius. The culmination of his glory would come with the apotheosis of the monstrous.

Was there some inspiration, divine or diabolical, that guided the painter to such lasting success? This opera delves into these crucial moments of his life, where an artist decides between integrity and succumbing to gold and fame.”

Commentary by Albert Boadella

*Materials for this opera are available for rent. If you are interested in this work please contact us.