| Have a look at the life of Bernardo de
Gálvez. He was fighting the Apache in Texas. Fighting
the Moors in Africa. The Portuguese in Europe. He was
Governor of Spanish Louisiana during the American War of
Independence. While Spain was still neutral, he supported
the American patriots with secret deliveries of arms and
other supplies provided by the French and Spanish
governments. As soon as Spain joined the war, Gálvez set
forth to conquer the British forts in Baton Rouge, Mobile
and Pensacola on the Gulf of Mexico, thus keeping the
limeys busy, and the mouth of the Mississippi open for
further much-needed supplies to George Washington's
troops. Gálvez was a crucial contributor to American independence. He is the namesake of Galveston TX, and the man who established the tradition of Texas cattle drives. His portrait hangs inside the U.S. Capitol, and he is one of only eight honorary citizens of the USA. His life is crying to become an opera, isn’t it?
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 Short video clips from the Gálvez opera: Felicité, my love! (Love duet) Dies irae ... No, Father, you're in the wrong book! (Gálvez is not yet ready to die) From low obscurity I made my way to fame (Beaumarchais meets Maria Rosa de Gálvez) |
Reading about Gálvez is a sheer pleasure.
Characteristic scenes, colorful speech, striking
anecdotes left, right, and center. And think of the
people around him:
All these characters will be part of the Gálvez opera. Their various ethnic backgrounds will be a feast for the composer. And a formidable composer we have: it is Mary Carol Warwick who has nine operas brought to stage so far, including several commissioned by Houston Grand Opera. Two of her operas are bilingual, English-Spanish. Her works are performed not only in the U.S. and in Canada, but also in Europe and in Singapore. She is intrigued by the libretto and already had several working sessions with Marec. A showcase performance with the first two scenes, with singers handpicked by Mary Carol Warwick, and Paul Boyd at the piano, was held at Rice Univerity on 5 April 2017 (see poster below). The second showcase performance with the world premiere of scenes 3 and 4 took place on Tue 30 Oct. 2018 at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall. Stay tuned! |
And here’s what the characters of the opera have to say: Bernardo de Gálvez: “I’m determined to perform my duty, or to pay with my life for the king’s bread that I have eaten. Whoever has honour and valour will follow me!” His bride Félicité: “Oh, this uniform! I can’t wait to open it … button by button by button …” His cousin Maria Rosa (portrayed here): “In all of Spain, I am the first female playwright!” Beaumarchais: “As behoves a writer, I was gaoled for my esprit. But Oliver Pollock, he was incarcerated for the greatest crime that society knows. He ran out of money!” Oliver Pollock, in debtors’ prison: “I’m Irish. I wouldn’t mind being imprisoned by the British, but why by the Spaniards?” The Spanish admiral: “If Gálvez were serving under me in the navy, I would hang this spoiled and unmannerly upstart from the yardarm of my flagship!” British governor Chester: ”You give more countenance to lawless banditti, than to His Britannic Majesty’s servants and liege subjects!” The priest: “So – I shall say the last rites, shan’t I?”
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