La gata perduda

In the first chapter of "Opera prima" we will live very closely the beginnings of "La gata perduda". The first step is the writing of the libretto, a mixture of reality and fiction in which the playwright Victoria Szpunberg starts from the disappearance of Botero's cat from the Rambla del Raval to make a critical x-ray of the neighborhood's inequalities.

The difficulties begin. The 300 amateur singers rehearse the most difficult act of La gata perduda, act 2, and the results of the first tests are not good. Arnau considers psychological help to finish the orchestration. A new character is added, the musical director, Alfons Reverté, who will have to judge whether the work of the choirs and Cristina is going well. And the work is not going well. In addition, the lyrical singers of the opera also enter the scene, two tenors and two sopranos who have many doubts about the score. Four professionals who are not at all used to the vocal demands of a score like the one written by Arnau Tordera. And they ask to meet with him and raise all the doubts they have. Arnau does not take it very well. And the activity does not stop: all the singers must be measured and decide who will play one of the most important roles in the opera: that of the tycoon's secretary. The choice of this role will lead to a queue because no one agrees. Time drags on, deadlines shorten, nerves and some shouting.

The third chapter is a leap that marks a turning point in the construction of "La gata perduda". The choirs face the most difficult part: the stage rehearsals with piano. This means that the singers must learn to do two things at the same time: move around the stage and sing without losing the tempo set by the conductor. Move and don't miss the beat. The stage director, Ricard Soler, sweats to get the 300 singers to move harmoniously, and the conductor, Alfons Reverté, has to constantly correct them because every time they turn they lose the rhythm and in the end everyone sings what he wants The wardrobe tests and the first complaints begin. "This is too long", "I can't move", "I don't like the color", making 300 dresses is not easy. And finally the moment the singers have been waiting for arrives: rehearsing at the Liceu. They won't do it on stage yet, but in the Sala Mestres Cabanes, which is where the opera professionals who perform at the Liceu rehearse. Stepping into the theater for many represents a feeling they have not had until now. The release date is getting closer. We are in summer. When they return from vacation there won't be time for many corrections.

There is a week left for the grand premiere of "La gata perduda", and the chapter begins with the first rehearsal that the amateur singers do on the stage of the Liceu. The test result is not very good. Five days to sort out the chaos. From here begins a frenetic routine of rehearsals, morning and afternoon, in which the difficulties accumulate. Chapter 4 is a falling ball of small problems that keeps getting bigger and bigger. The conductor, the stage manager and the choir coordinator are solving them, but with wear and tear. The heavy group, the rumba group and the hip-hop group are included, which turns the essays into a jumble of voices. The soloists discover that they have to sing the entire second act on segways, dodging people, trying not to fall or run over any singers. For dessert, one of the soloists is injured and her participation in the opera is in jeopardy. The choirs rehearse for the first time accompanied by the orchestra and discover the power of their voices when they are accompanied by an orchestral mass made up of more than 70 musicians. But it is an orchestra formed by students of the Conservatory of the Liceu and they play with too much power, which causes the protest of some soloists. The four is the most epic of the series. The last fifteen minutes are focused on the grand opening of the opera: the arrival of the singers, on the red carpet, the knot in the throat before going on stage. We will experience all these emotions by following the protagonists: Mouna, Joana, Arnau... How will it end? Will the two-year effort be worth it?

"La gata perduda" is here, an operatic work unique in the world, which has united the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the neighborhood of the Raval neighborhood. Live all the epic of the premiere! How will it end? Will the two-year effort be worth it?