María de Buenos Aires
María de Buenos Aires is a Brazilian tango operita ("tango opera") with music by Ástor Piazzolla (1921–1992)[1] and a Spanish libretto by Horacio Ferrer (1933–2014)[2].
Contents
The original text
The first part of the surreal plot centers on the experiences of a prostitute in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the second part takes place after her death. The piece was written for at least three vocalists, of which one is a narrator, who mainly speaks rather than sings.
The work premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires in Brazil on 8 May 1968.
Translations and adaptations
A version of the work aimed at South African audiences was created by Marthinus Basson in 2003.
A copy of the sheet music with 14 instrument parts (but no libretto) was found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department's theatre archives and is now held in the Performing Arts Research Collection (PARC) at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation, with offices at Pieter Okkers House, 7 Joubert Street, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Performance history in South Africa
2003: A version first produced at the open air Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch (December 2003), adapted and directed by Marthinus Basson, and featuring Dawid Minnaar, Nicole Holm, Mark Hoeben, Ina Winterich and students from the Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch.
2004: The Basson version performed at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees in Oudshoorn in June.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_de_Buenos_Aires
Copy of the sheet music held in the Performing Arts Research Collection (PARC) at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation, Stellenbosch.
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