''Margarita la tornera'' (''Margarita the Gatekeeper'') is an opera in three acts composed by

Ruperto Chapí Ruperto Chapí y Lorente (27 March 1851 – 25 March 1909) was a Spanish composer, and co-founder of the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers. Biography Chapí was born at Villena, the son of a Valencian barber. He trained in his home to ...

to a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Carlos Fernández Shaw Carlos Fernández Shaw (23 September 1865 – 7 June 1911) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and journalist. He wrote the texts for many zarzuelas, including '' La revoltosa'', ''La chavala'' and '' Las bravías'', all in collaboration with Jos ...

, based on a dramatic poem by

José Zorrilla José Zorrilla y Moral () was a Spanish poet and dramatist, who became National Laureate. Biography Zorrilla was born in Valladolid to a magistrate in whom Ferdinand VII placed special confidence. He was educated by the Jesuits at the Real Se ...

. It premiered on 24 February 1909 at the

Teatro Real The Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) is an opera house in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace of Madrid, Royal Palace, and known colloquially as ''El Real'', it is considered the top institution of the performing a ...

in Madrid in a performance conducted by the composer. An acclaimed recording of the opera came out in 1999 with

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

and Elisabete Matos.

Background and performance history

Following its initial staging, the opera languished in obscurity for many years. Finally, through the efforts of tenor

, who starred in the new production, it was revived in Spain in 1999. This production was subsequently

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...

d and shown on Spanish television. A CD of this revival, recorded live, was nominated for the 2003

Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album The Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes awareness of cultural diversity and the contributions of Latin musicians in the United St ...

Synopsis

The plot is based on an old legend, retold with variations in such plays as

Karl Vollmöller Karl Gustav Vollmöller (or Vollmoeller; 7 May 1878 – 18 October 1948) was a German philologist, archaeologist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and aircraft designer. He is most famous for the elaborate religious spectacle-pantomime '' The Mira ...

's '' Das Mirakel'' and

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

's ''Soeur Beatrice'', and in the films '' Das Mirakel'' (1912), ''Milagro de amor'' (1946), and '' The Miracle'' (1959). Margarita is a nun, and the gatekeeper at her convent. Don Juan Alarcon, an unscrupulous adventurer, persuades her to run away with him and seduces her. Margarita eventually discovers that she is only one in a series of sexual conquests by Don Juan, and returns to the convent to find that her absence has not been noticed at all. The statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

in the convent chapel has come to life and has been taking her place. As Margarita prays for forgiveness, the statue returns to its pedestal. Meanwhile, Don Juan follows, and is miraculously struck down by heavenly lightning.

Recordings

*Chapí: ''Margarita la tornera'' – Elisabete Matos (Margarita),

(Don Juan),

Stefano Palatchi Stefano Palatchi Ribera (born 26 March 1960), known publicly as Stefano Palatchi, is a Spanish opera singer who has sung leading bass roles in Spain and internationally and is noted for stage skills, timbre. and expressiveness. His concert repertoir ...

(Gavilán),

Àngel Òdena Àngel Òdena is a Spanish operatic baritone. Biography Born in Tarragona, Spain, he has a degree in Geography and History. He started studying singing and piano in his native town with Mercè Obiol and Dolors Aldea, and continued his studie ...

(Don Lope), Ángeles Blancas (Sirena), María Rey-Joly ("La tornera"). Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Luis Garcia Navarro. Label:

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española or RTVE, is the state-owned public corporation that assumed in 2007 the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service know ...

Música CD 65169 Webber, Christopher (September 2003)
Recording Review: ''Margarita la tornera'', RTVE Música 65169
MusicWeb International. Accessed 28 April 2011.

Background and performance history

Synopsis

Recordings

References

Further reading