LOBA BRANCA
An opera set in the Sierra del Courel, the heart of green Galicia, that speaks about honor, respect for nature, the vital challenges faced daily by the inhabitants of empty Spain and the relationships established between humans and animals in these environments.
PROTAGONISTAS
PROTAGONISTAS
LOBA
The brave leader of a clan of wolves living in the Sierra del Courel.
MEIGA
An old woman in a small village in Courel, whom the villagers believe to be a witch because she talks to animals.
CAZADOR
One of the men of the village, who lives by hunting in the mountains.
THE WOLF PACK
THE WOLF PACK
COUREL
The Sierra del Courel is one of the great green spaces of Spain: its more than two hundred square kilometers are home to one of the largest reserves of wildlife in Galicia: badgers, wild boars, foxes and, above all, wolves and brown bears.
Barely nine hundred people live in the entire Sierra del Courel, spread over several parishes very far from each other, making it an isolated and inaccessible place where, as the local poet Uxío Novoneyra said, "here one can discover how insignificant a man is".
LA LEYENDA
Brais chose a well-known story from Courel, known in the area as the "legend of the white she-wolf"; a short story that narrates the complicated relationship between a pack of wolves and the neighboring villages. This story served the composer to write his own libretto that extends the original story, giving it a more complex narrative arc.
ESTRENO
"Loba Branca" premiered in a double session on August 28, 2022 at the Teatro degli Illuminati in Città di Castello selling out both performances. Subsequently, in December of the same year the play was performed again at the Teatro Cuccinelli in Solomeo (Perugia), in a production directed by Mario Cecchetti with Carolyne Beck and Veronica Martinelli in the leading roles.
Brais González wrote the lyric text of the opera originally in Galician. The version performed in Italy, while retaining (at the composer's request) some words in the original language in which it was written, was translated into Italian by experts in lyric translation. The Galician version of the opera will premiere on 27th September, 2024 at Teatro Principal in Ourense.
The original semi-staged performances were accompanied by live video work and sand manipulation by Italian film director Massimo Otoni.
Loba Blanca's music is inspired by traditional Galician music and other traditional Celtic influences, which join the usual language of Brais Gonzalez's music: complex rhythms, ambient textures and the fusion with oral folk tradition and urban music.
PRESS
Exciting show, rich in meanings and artistic, ethical and musical values. A magnificent opportunity to bring the brave production of Galician culture to the general public.
Brais González, a lucid intellectual and eclectic musician, oscillates between classical music and pop, between different styles and stylistic elements admirably fused.
SANDRO ALLEGRINI, PERUGIA TODAY (12/11/2022)
González pays tribute to the Sierra del Courel and its legends. In its premiere, it moved the Italian audience with a life lesson and a story of respect for nature and the relationship between animals and humans.
LAURA VEIGA. DIARIO NÓS (10/09/2022)
DATA SHEET
Data
Length: 75-80'
Acts: 2 acts. 10 scenes
Language: galician and italian
Score: bilingual edition, published by Universal Music Wien
Vocal Cast
La Loba (soprano)
Meiga (mezzo-soprano)
Cazador (narrator)
The Wolf Pack (children choir or women choir)
The Villagers (children choir or men choir)
Instrumentation
Violin
Viola
Cello
Flute
Clarinet
Piano
Timpami (2)
Percussion (tom set, snare drum, piatti, glockenspiel)