Tomás Bretón

Verbena de La Paloma

Spanish conductor and composer Tomás Bretón (1850 1923) became conductor of the Madrid Opera and spent his professional life fighting for the cause of sophisticated Spanish music nationalism. Bretón composed the lively, evocative zarzuela La Verbena de la Paloma, in just nineteen days, and it has remained popular with Spanish audiences since its premiere in 1894 for its humour, its music and the characters that recall nineteenth centuryMadrid. La Verbena de la Paloma is scored for two to three Soprano roles, one to two contraltos, one to two Tenors, and five to six baritones as well as an actor-singer and actress-singer. The libretto is in Spanish without translation.