‘Los Bufones’ based on paintings of jesters in court of Spain’s King Philip IV
OPERA BASED ON PAINTINGS OF JESTERS IN COURT OF SPAIN’S KING PHILIP IV
Ron Strauss has had his share of opening shows.
But his “Los Bufones” has been a labor of love for the past three years.
“It’s been a long time since I was this heavily involved in a project,” he says. “Opening night is coming soon. I’m still making revisions to the project, which I really need to stop.”
Not to mention this is the world premiere for Strauss’ “Los Bufones.” It will begin a four-night run at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Thursday, Jan. 19.
The piece is based on Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez’s mesmerizing paintings of jesters and dwarfs at the court of King Philip IV of Spain.
Strauss wanted to bring to life the fascinating individuals — comedians and outcasts, confidants and spies — in a richly melodic theater piece. It is sung in Spanish with English supertitles.
“I’m not the greatest at speaking Spanish, so we had to get it translated correctly,” he says. “I wanted it to be in Spanish, because these would be the thoughts of the king’s subjects.”
The piece features sopranos Ingela Onstad and Christina Martos, tenors Sam Shepperson and André García-Nuthmann and baritones Michael Hix and Carlos Archuleta.
“I’ve never worked with any of these singers before,” Strauss says. “When I was writing, I didn’t have a singer in mind. As I met the singers, I began to go back and revise some of the pieces. It was a learning curve, and I think we brought the best out of each one of us.”
Strauss became intrigued with the king’s jesters, because they are both adored and hated in the world of the court.
Each day, they strive for balance in a web of intrigue and ambition. This was a piece of the history that piqued Strauss’ interest.
“In musical solos and ensembles, they reveal their personal lives as intimates of the royal family, as well as their privileged perspective on the crumbling order, splendor, and decadence of mid-17th century Spain at the end of its golden era,” he says. “It’s a glimpse of their every day life. On stage, they become real and the story gets told. I’m excited to see it all come together. It’s been years of work, and this is a subject that I am so interested in. Each one of the jesters led such an interesting life. Imagine what it would have been like.”