We evoke some of the most sardonic, mischievous and entertaining numbers from the great Zarzuelas

In 1917 a new word appeared in the Dictionary of the Spanish language: sicalipsis (suggestiveness) If you look up the origin of the word, the Royal Spanish Academy will tell you that it is an arbitrary creation, although some academics claim that its etymology comes from the Greek language. (We encourage you to do a simple internet search to discover the concepts linked to the word in question). From this reference, we come to the género sicalíptico (suggestive genre), which became fashionable on the most popular Madrid stages at the beginning of the 20th century. Imagine what it would have been like at those theatre evenings by the hour, the chotis (traditional dance of Madrid), the Gran Vía, the incipient anarchist circles coexisting with the monarchy; the strike activity and the workers’ movement while La corte de Faraón (The Pharaoh’s Court) was being premièred, with General Potiphar and the chaste Joseph. Those were definitely nights of taverns, cafés, serenos (traditional night porters in Madrid), and lighted street lamps.

Tonight we would like to remember those nights of spontaneous, pure mischief. Music and its eternal evocative power will take us through the half-lit dance halls and the crowded theatre halls filled with audiences looking to laugh and surrender to the irreverent enjoyment in music hall-style. And above all, the Arriaga Theatre wants to close the season by offering a fun evening, spreading laughter from the stage to the stalls. And in order to do so, the repertoire chosen includes unforgettable compositions from the great Zarzuelas. Thus, the audience at the Arriaga Theatre will be able to recognise some of the most sardonic and mischievous numbers from Zarzuelas that remain in the collective memory, such as Los sobrinos del Capitán Grant, El dúo de la africana, La Gran Vía, Luisa Fernanda or La corte de Faraón, together with other gems of what was known as the género sicalíptico (early twentieth-century suggestive genre).

Musical direction: Iker Sánchez Silva
Soloists: Vanessa Goikoetxea, Andeka Gorrotxategi, Itziar de Unda, Andrea Jiménez, Christopher Robertson.
Choir: Sociedad Coral de Bilbao
Orchestra: Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa (BOS)
Production: Teatro Arriaga