By Charles Oppenheim
The first event of Ópera de San Miguel’s 2023 season was held on January 14 at Santa Amalia Ranch and featured a baroque concert by the Ensamble Santa Amalia, an instrumental quartet formed by graduates and current members of the Academy of Ancient Music of the UNAM. The performance highlighted violinist Amadeus Arteaga Meza, harpsichordist and organist Emil Rzajev Lomelí, cellist Rogelio Morales, and theorbist Eduardo Corredor. The stunning vocalists were soprano Jacinta Barbachano and mezzo-soprano Ingrid Fueli, both graduates of Concurso San Miguel.
The concert began and concluded with music by Claudio Monteverdi. The first segment of the program began with the madrigal “Si dolce è il tormento” (1624) for soprano and basso continuo, followed by the aria “Senza Dio che il vero Sole” from the oratorio “Il trionfo della morte” (1677) by Bonaventura Aliotti, and concluded with the aria “Se l’aura spira tutta vezzosa” (1630) by Girolamo Frescobaldi.
The first surprise of the evening was the inclusion in the program of the song curated by the president of Ópera de San Miguel, Álvaro Nieto, “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour in an arrangement for baroque instruments and drums played by 18-year-old percussionist Mairead O’Grady.
The ensemble continued with a performance of Georg Friedrich Händel’s “Passacaille, Suite No. 7” (1720) in an arrangement for instrumental quartet.
The second part of the program began with another surprise which was the interpretation of “Last Man on Earth” (2021) by the English alternative rock group Wolf Alice.
The performance continued with some selections of baroque opera, including “Tornami a vaggheggiar” and “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto” from Händel’s “Alcina” (1735), “Armatae face et anguibus” from Antonio Vivaldi’s oratorio “Juditha triumphans” (1716), and concluded with the duet “Pur ti miro” from “L’incoronazione di Poppea” (1642) by Monteverdi.
In response to the audience’s effusive praise the incredible baroque ensemble offered as an encore another very well articulated sample of crossover with the song “Another Brick in the Wall” (1979) by Pink Floyd and a unique version of the traditional son jarocho “La Bruja” (The Witch).
Thus concluded this first event of Ópera de San Miguel’s 2023 season with a selection of pieces that traversed 400 years of musical history, a true baroque concert.
Comments from our audience:
“Epic-plus! An incredible concierto! A mind-blowing night! You have outdone yourselves!”
Shari Alexander
“It’s incredible how you could get people so excited!”
Emilia Peña, 12 years-old
“I want to thank you for your graciousness and kindness in including Mairead in last night’s event. It was indeed an experience for the memory book and one we will always treasure.”
Katie O’Grady
“Thank you so much for Saturday’s event! We can’t stop remembering details of that afternoon in Santa Amalia. Above all, thank you for an unforgettable afternoon and evening.”
Luis Gallardo
“Good morning from a big fan! I — and, I’m sure, all those attending Saturday night’s concert — walked out with head and heart filled with awe and contentment!”
Nicole Mills
“Oh, what a night! Oh, what a great event! I am still basking in yesterday’s delightful evening. The setting was stunning, food and drink delicious, and the concert was absolutely fabulous! Having said in the past that I was not fond of baroque music, I now say I could watch the concert of last evening again and again. The entire group of musicians and singers is to be congratulated and praised for giving us such a high-energy, fun, interesting, and memorable concert. Bring them back!”
Joy Levine
“A big thanks to Álvaro Nieto for extending an invite for me to take part in this incredible project with some of the most top-notch and professional musicians I’ve encountered. It was such a new, beautiful, and joyous experience for me… a highlight of my life. I am truly honored and grateful to have been able to contribute to it how I could, and, best of all, come out of it with some wonderful new friends…”
Mairead O’Grady
