Peter Cowdrey and Hamish Robinson's most recent collaboration is Paciencia y Barajar (Patience and Shuffle the Cards), a 50 minute opera commissioned by Gonzalez Byass celebrating the long relationship between Jerez and Scotland in the making and transporting of sherry. So plenty of shenanigans inside and outside barrels.
Paciencia y Barajar: a synopsis
As the lights go up, the audience is confronted with a row of barrels in the gloom of a bodega. Voices are heard: Te quiero mucho! The barrels seem to talk, to declare love for each other – there are people in the barrels – two lovers in the same barrel! They talk, they kiss, they quarrel, they part, all without being seen. So the action begins, an imbroglio involving a barrel-maker, his two daughters, rivals for the affection of a young Scotsman, an apprentice in the bodega owned by the worldly, womanizing, but genial, Don Luis. The daughters fight; the young Scotsman is torn between the two; the father tries to discipline them. Don Luis tries to discipline them all. Amidst this confusion, the young Scotsman is also trying to learn the art of sherry-making: he studies the barrels and learns to taste the wine. Don Luis sings of the mystery of the flor and of the uniqueness of Jerez: One grape the palomino/ Makes all: the palest fino/ The dark amontillado/ The oloroso and the rare cortado;/ One system the solera,/ One place on earth: Jerez de la Frontera. At the height of the confusion, two new figures enter: the silent foreman, Pepe, who brings in wine for an educational tasting, and a beautiful young woman, Esperanza, who is applying for a post as secretary. Under the influence of the beautiful Esperanza and of the various types of sherry tasted, the problems of the barrel-maker and his daughters, the young Scotsman and Don Luis are resolved, and the show ends in dancing and a rousing ensemble in praise of the restorative powers of sherry. The text is sung in English, but with frequent asides in Spanish, and the vocal texture is made up of arias, duets, trios, quartets and more. The orchestra will consist of seven instruments, each keyed to a character, with a guitar providing the continuo in a ravishing and energetic Spanish idiom. The performance will last less than an hour.
Hamish Robinson
The opera features the Spanish guitarist Carlos Bonell, who is onstage throughout. Follow this link to listen to an arrangement of extracts from the opera, performed by Carlos with Elinor Jane Moran, Chris Jacklin, Liz Cowdrey, Jennifer Raven, and Peter Cowdrey.
Paciencia y Barajar: a synopsis
As the lights go up, the audience is confronted with a row of barrels in the gloom of a bodega. Voices are heard: Te quiero mucho! The barrels seem to talk, to declare love for each other – there are people in the barrels – two lovers in the same barrel! They talk, they kiss, they quarrel, they part, all without being seen. So the action begins, an imbroglio involving a barrel-maker, his two daughters, rivals for the affection of a young Scotsman, an apprentice in the bodega owned by the worldly, womanizing, but genial, Don Luis. The daughters fight; the young Scotsman is torn between the two; the father tries to discipline them. Don Luis tries to discipline them all. Amidst this confusion, the young Scotsman is also trying to learn the art of sherry-making: he studies the barrels and learns to taste the wine. Don Luis sings of the mystery of the flor and of the uniqueness of Jerez: One grape the palomino/ Makes all: the palest fino/ The dark amontillado/ The oloroso and the rare cortado;/ One system the solera,/ One place on earth: Jerez de la Frontera. At the height of the confusion, two new figures enter: the silent foreman, Pepe, who brings in wine for an educational tasting, and a beautiful young woman, Esperanza, who is applying for a post as secretary. Under the influence of the beautiful Esperanza and of the various types of sherry tasted, the problems of the barrel-maker and his daughters, the young Scotsman and Don Luis are resolved, and the show ends in dancing and a rousing ensemble in praise of the restorative powers of sherry. The text is sung in English, but with frequent asides in Spanish, and the vocal texture is made up of arias, duets, trios, quartets and more. The orchestra will consist of seven instruments, each keyed to a character, with a guitar providing the continuo in a ravishing and energetic Spanish idiom. The performance will last less than an hour.
Hamish Robinson
The opera features the Spanish guitarist Carlos Bonell, who is onstage throughout. Follow this link to listen to an arrangement of extracts from the opera, performed by Carlos with Elinor Jane Moran, Chris Jacklin, Liz Cowdrey, Jennifer Raven, and Peter Cowdrey.
