Goyescas facts for kids

Goya's painting of girls tossing a mannequin. This inspired the opening scene of the opera

Goyescas is a Spanish opera with music by Enrique Granados. An opera is like a play where all the words are sung instead of spoken. The story for Goyescas was written by Fernando Periquet y Zuaznabar.

This opera is special because it was first a set of piano pieces, also called Goyescas, created by Granados. When they decided to turn it into an opera, the words had to be written to fit the music that already existed.

The Goyescas opera was first performed in New York on January 28, 1916. The piano version of Goyescas is performed more often than the opera.

Inspiration for the Opera

The composer, Enrique Granados, found his ideas for Goyescas by looking at the famous paintings of Francisco Goya. Goya was a very important Spanish painter. Granados wanted his music to capture the feeling and style of Goya's art.

Meet the Main Characters

The opera features four main characters, each sung by a different type of voice:

• Rosario - Sung by a soprano. A soprano is a female singer with a very high voice.
• Fernando - Sung by a tenor. A tenor is a male singer with a high voice.
• Pepa - Sung by a mezzo-soprano. A mezzo-soprano is a female singer whose voice is lower than a soprano but higher than an alto.
• Paquiro - Sung by a baritone. A baritone is a male singer whose voice is lower than a tenor but higher than a bass.

Recordings of Goyescas

Many groups have recorded the Goyescas opera over the years. These recordings let people listen to the opera even if they can't see it performed live. Here are some of the recordings:

• 1955: This recording featured Consuelo Rubio as Rosario and Ginés Torrano as Fernando. Ana-María Iriarte sang Pepa, and Manuel Ausensi was Paquiro. The music was played by the Orquesta Nacional de España and conducted by Ataúlfo Argenta.
• 1986: This version included Janet Perry as Rosario and the famous Plácido Domingo as Fernando. Jessye Norman sang Pepa, and Juan Pons was Paquiro. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performed, led by James Levine.
• 1996: Maria Bayo sang Rosario, and Ramón Vargas was Fernando. Lola Casariego played Pepa, and Enrique Baquerizo was Paquiro. The Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid performed, conducted by Antoni Ros-Marbà.
• 1997: Carmen González was Rosario, and Josep Ruiz sang Fernando. Maite Arruabarrena was Pepa, and Alfonso Echevarría played Paquiro. The Orquesta de Cadaqués performed, led by Gianandrea Noseda.
• 2001: Rafaella Angeletti sang Rosario, and Yikun Chung was Fernando. Francesca Franci played Pepa, and Davide Damiani was Paquiro. The Coro e Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari performed, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.

You can find more information about opera in The Complete Dictionary of Opera & Operetta by James Anderson, published in 1993.

Images for kids

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  Goya's painting of 1777 known as El Paseo de Andalucía or La Maja y los embozados.

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  Drawing for booklet cover, drawing for Goyescas (1954).

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  "El amor y la muerte" a print by Goya from 1799

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See also

In Spanish: Goyescas para niños