GENERAL
INFORMATION
As it is known, Juana - the daughter of Isabela and Ferdinand, the
Catholic Kings of Spain - was married at age 17
to Philip the Handsome, the son of the Achduque of Austria. Despite its
political origin, the union gave birth to a powerful amorous and sexual
attraction that lasted even after Philip's premature death, which occurred under
strange circumstances, probably a victim of a political assassination. The loss
of her beloved husband led Juana to keep his corpse without proper burial for
some time, a circumstance that was used by her political enemies to accuse her
of madness. After a mock trial, Juana was locked in a tower until the end of her
long life, more than sixty years, and forced to abdicate in favor of her son
Charles, the future emperor Charles V.
Based freely on the historic facts that surrounded the life of Juana, the
opera displays a double message through five scenes: on one side it paints a
portrait of Juana, an 17 year old adolescent with all her tenderness, expectations and fears, and her early discovery
of love. On the other hand, the opera uncovers the crude ambition of a governing
class obsessed with power, totally careless about the damage it inflicted on its
occasional victims. In this context, the protagonist - unable to adapt to the
molds of the political community of her time - opts for madness as a liberating
mechanism.
The Opera was premiered on September 21st., 1991 at the Teatro San
Martín in Tucumán, Argentina, conducted by the composer (see Original
Cast). Since then the Overture has been performed frequently in
different countries including the Soirées Musicales de Paris Festival, the
concerts of the Chorale Plantagenet (France), the Festival Cervantino
(Mexico), the 1995 Season of the Sudettic Philharmony (Poland), and in
Argentina by the Buenos Aires Philharmonic at the Teatro Colón, the
National Symphony Orchestra, the
National Youth Symphony and the Mendoza, San Juan and Tucumán Symphony
Orchestras. The Suite for concert use has been performed by the Córdoba
Symphony Orchestra and by the Orquesta
Estable de Tucumán, and the Ballet Music has been part of the
programs of the San Juan and the Tucumán Symphony Orchestras in Argentina.
The Overture and the Ballet Music are recorded on compact
disc by the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra for
Ocean Records, conducted by the composer.
The
first performance of Juana, la loca was broadcast live by LRA 15
Tucumán National Radio.
The video recording of the opera was part of the cultural exhibition of the Argentine stand at Expo Sevilla'92.
Date of
composition: 1990/1991
