The first Argentine coliseum will present, in its new season, 7 lyrical titles, 5 ballets, and 20 concerts from the subscription cycle of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as 5 concerts from the Stable Orchestra of the Teatro Colón.
The Argerich Festival, featuring the exclusive presence of the incomparable Martha Argerich, will have a new edition during the month of August.
Marianela Nuñez, principal dancer of the Royal Ballet of London, will star in “The Sleeping Beauty,” choreographed by Mario Galizzi, Director of the Stable Ballet of the Teatro Colón. (Photos by Arnaldo Colombaroli)
Trans. by Virginia Chacon Dorr
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This noon, in the Golden Hall of the Teatro Colón, the General and Artistic Director, Jorge Telerman, announced the 2024 Season alongside the Minister of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires, Gabriela Ricardes.
Gabriela Ricardes, Minister of Culture of the City, welcomed everyone: “Every season presentation is a source of pride, and even more so when it comes to the Teatro Colón. From the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and from this Ministry, we are making a true commitment to revalorize Buenos Aires’ culture, emphasizing the values that have always made all citizens of the City proud. That’s why this isn’t just another season; it’s the result of enormous work from all sectors to adapt to new times without sacrificing the Colón’s timeless quality. We believe we’ve achieved an excellent artistic balance so that everyone can enjoy the theater. But in addition to this fantastic programming, I want to highlight what the Colón means, which is much more than a world-class venue: it’s also a place of belonging for every citizen of Buenos Aires, a symbolic value that spans generations and one of the emblems that makes this City a cultural beacon.”
Following and before delving into the artistic content of the 2024 season, the General and Artistic Director of the Teatro Colón, Jorge Telerman, stated: “We are here to value the best we have: our heritage. In the case of the Teatro Colón, it is the current and historical work of Argentine creators. It is a good time to continue being part of the bridge that connects Buenos Aires’ culture with the world and also to fulfill the objective of strengthening, promoting local talents, local creation. Many of them are here, and many of them are in the rest of the world. All those summoned, with commendable, open, generous vocation, have said yes to be present here, in this 2024 season.”
The Lyric Season will consist of 7 titles starting in April with Ariadne auf Naxos under the stage direction of Marcelo Lombardero. Throughout the year, masterpieces like Turandot by Puccini, in the historic staging by the late maestro Roberto Oswald, and The Consul, a 20th-century piece by Gian Carlo Menotti, in the scenic vision of Rubén Szuchmacher, will be restaged. New productions will also be presented, such as Carmen by Georges Bizet, a collaboration between Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and Teatro Regio in Turin; the return of Aurora by Héctor Panizza, to the stage of the Teatro Colón after 25 years; Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach; and the season will close between November and December with Un ballo in Maschera by Giuseppe Verdi, with stage direction by Rita Cosentino and set design by Enrique Bordolini.
Opera El Cónsul (c) Arnaldo ColombaroliUnder the direction of Mario Galizzi, the Stable Ballet of the Teatro Colón will present 5 titles. It will start on March 12th with Carmina Burana in a version by Mauricio Wainrot. The Stable Choir, the Children’s Choir, and the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra will participate. In June, The Sleeping Beauty will take the stage with the stellar presence of Marianela Nuñez, principal dancer of the Royal Ballet of London. And at the end of August, a mixed program composed of Suite en Blanc, Adagietto, and Bolero X.
In October, the key work of romantic ballet: Giselle. It will be the version with choreographic contributions by Gustavo Mollajoli based on the original by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa.
The year will be crowned with 7 performances of La Bayadère with choreography by Mario Galizzi and the participation of the first dancer of the Mariinsky Theater, Kimin Kin.
Martha Argerich (c) Arnaldo ColombaroliFrom August 3rd to 18th, Martha Argerich will once again meet with the Argentine audience with the festival that has borne her name for 23 years at the Teatro Colón, featuring a series of memorable concerts.
Throughout the 20 concerts, the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra will feature several soloists and directors of great international significance. The Stable Orchestra of the Teatro Colón will have its cycle of 5 presentations, in addition to being part of the opera and ballet seasons.
The 2024 edition of the Contemporary cycle will bring together the performances of the Harmonielehre concert featuring orchestral music by John Adams and Thomas Adès performed by the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra under the musical direction of Pablo Druker; the debut in the main hall of the ArtHaus Ensemble, with compositions by Unsuk Chin, György Ligeti, Conlon Nancarrow, and Pablo Rubino under the musical direction of Pablo Druker; the oratorio Gurrelieder for large orchestra, multiple choirs, vocal soloists, and narrator, by Arnold Schönberg and with musical direction by Alejo Pérez; and the revival of the acclaimed Einstein on the Beach, a version by Martín Bauer and Rodrigo de Caso of the opera by Robert Wilson and Philip Glass, premiered at the Teatro Colón in 2023.
Marianela Nuñez en La Bella DurmienteDirected by Diana Theocharidis, the Centro de Experimentación del Teatro Colón (Center for Experimentation of the Teatro Colón.) will celebrate the 15 years of the Ensemble de Música Contemporánea del Departamento de Artes Musicales y Sonoras de la Universidad Nacional de las Artes (EMC Damus) with a program of short works by over twenty Argentine composers, and the 20 years of uninterrupted work of El ensamble Compañía Oblicua under the direction of its creator, the composer Marcelo Delgado, with two programs consisting of works premiered by the ensemble of current composers from our country, including Juan Carlos Tolosa, Agustina Crespo, and Jorge Chikiar.
True to its avant-garde style, it will present productions such as El gran desfile, a work for silent film with live soundtracking of the movie El Gran Desfile by King Vidor (1925) by the composer, pianist, and performer Carmen Baliero; the peripheral opera Neobarrosas, which will exhibit performances with elements of drag culture by drag artists accompanied by a baroque ensemble and lyrical singers; the dance and music proposal Mirlitons by François Chaignaud and Aymeric Hainaux; the sound and silence ritual La Sed, composed of works by Argentine composer and director Alex Nante performed by the Terra Lucida Ensemble of the Vocación Humana Foundation; Bela Vamp by Alfredo Arias, the opera Kassandr(x) jointly commissioned by the Teatro Colón and the Alternative Stage of the National Opera of Greece, with aesthetics by Uruguayan playwright Sergio Blanco and music by composer Pablo Ortiz; Solos extr3mos, a set of works by Scottish choreographer Billy Cowie for one performer, dancer Luciana Croatto, with original texts and music by Billy Cowie; and Chez la grande-mère Bzloch Rehearsals for a musical biodrama, by Axel Krygier, who draws on the memories of his great-uncle to stage this work featuring a chamber ensemble plus piano and sampler, the participation of three actor/dancer/singers, and an ambiance that includes original family objects.
The CETC will also present Materiales en construcción universos a explotar by the Compañía de Danza de la Universidad Nacional de las Artes (UNA) and Kenta, a program of contemporary music by participants of the Programa de Orquestas Infantiles y Juveniles de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.
A series of extraordinary concerts will feature the presence of Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, soprano Hera Hyesang Park, the Camerata Antiqua de Curitiba under the musical direction of Ricardo Kangi, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia under the musical direction of Yeruham Scharovsky, a concert by the Stable Orchestra of the Teatro Colón conducted by Sylvain Gasançony, and another by the Petrobras Symphony under the baton of Isaac Karabtchevsky.
Colón para chicos (Colón for kids) arrives with a special program for children prepared by the Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón and the Instituto Superior de Arte, featuring the return of the productions ¡A bailar! ¿Dónde está el maestro? and La Bayadera, both with choreography by the Director of the Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón Mario Galizzi; the one-act ballet Baile de graduados with choreography by David Lichine; the one-act ballet Coppélia, with choreography by Emanuel Abruzzo, dramaturgy by Juan Martín Delgado, music by Leo Délibes, and musical direction by Nicolás Kapustiansky; and the romantic two-act ballet Giselle, with choreography by Gustavo Mollajoli, set and costume design by Nicola Benois, and lighting by Rubén Conde.
As part of the Winter Holidays, Colin and Colette, a show for children based on the opera Le devin du village by Jean-Jacques Rousseau with stage direction by Alejandro Cervera, will be presented in the Centro de Experimentación del Teatro Colón; the choreographic show for the whole family Mundodanza with choreography and direction by Laura Falcoff and musical direction by Nicolás Kapustiansky; and the show based on texts by Molière Moliendo a Moliere with music by Jean-Baptispte Lully and dramaturgy by Emiliano Dionisi.
The Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón (Superior Institute of Arts of the Teatro Colón.), directed by Marcelo Birman, will continue its training work under the guidance of the most prominent specialists in each area, all of them masters of the Theater. The Orquesta Académica will offer concerts dedicated to composers such as Brahms, Schumann, Bach, and one dedicated to the Camerata. It will also premiere a semi-staged version of the one-act chamber opera commissioned by the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón, La voz que nunca calla, with music by Marcelo Delgado and libretto by Ignacio Apolo; and some arias and ensemble scenes from Opera en zapatillas, with musical direction by Marcelo Ayub.
As part of the concert proposal that the Teatro Colón presents for its 2024 Season is Música y Cine with the selection of Italian cinema and musical direction by Nicola Piovanni.
The Recitals cycle in the Salón Dorado will present a series called Liederabend, Choral concerts, Piano concerts, String Quartet concerts, and a selection by Musicians of the Stable Orchestra of the Teatro Colón.
Institutionally, and following the success of the first fundraising galas held in 2022 and 2023, the Dirección General del Teatro Colón will offer two annual fundraising galas as part of its fundraising policy. With innovative gastronomic proposals and special artistic performances, in June and September, two exclusive Fundraising Galas will be held in the Salón Dorado. Subscribers, special guests, cultural personalities, and artists from the house will participate.
The general and artistic director also announced the launch of the Club de Abonados aimed at providing exclusive services to guide them, give them an advantage, conduct meet and greets, and attend rehearsals, among others, so that the most loyal sector of the audience feels even more part of and protagonist of the Teatro Colón.
Starting from the presentation, the new website of the Teatro Colón will also begin to operate with more innovation, vitality, and dynamism, facilitating access to information, services, and ticket purchase. A more user-friendly page that will be updated with new content.
The renewal and sale of subscriptions for the 2024 Season can be done starting Monday, February 19th, from Monday to Friday in person from 9:00 to 17:00 hours by entering through Libertad 621. Or online by visiting www.teatrocolon.org.ar.
