San Diego Opera: El Milagro del Recuerdo
Mariachi opera El Milagro del Recuerdo (The Miracle of Remembering) is a prequel to 2013’s Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (To Cross the Face of the Moon). In a small town in Michoacán, Mexico, two women, Renata and Lupita, are raising their families while their husbands, Laurentino and Chucho, work as braceros in the United States. Laurentino manages to come home for Christmas, but his return enflames an ongoing argument with Renata about his long work trips. Will Laurentino’s desire to support his family overshadow Renata’s efforts to keep her family together in a rapidly changing world? This new mariachi opera lovingly explores family traditions in the face of life-changing decisions. Sung in Spanish, this opera marks the welcome return of vocalist Vanessa Alonso. She is joined by mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa, mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Paz, Mezzo-soprano Sishel Claverie. The music is composed by Javier Martiez, son of Pepe Martinez who was the musical director of the mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, and the composer of the first two mariachi operas, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna and El Pasado Nunca se Termina.
