Llorca's THE EMPTY HOURS Gets Lincoln Center Premiere, 11/19

In a world increasingly dominated by texts and tweets, a timely new opera will offer a digital-age take on the time-honored tragic heroine.

"The Empty Hours" (Las Horas Vacias) by acclaimed Spanish composer Ricardo Llorca will have its staged world premiere at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on November 19th. The tale of a lonely woman whose obsession with the internet fuels an extraordinary fantasy world, "The Empty Hours" will be presented by the New York Opera Society in a special, one-night only performance.

Exploring age-old themes of loneliness, madness, and longing through the uniquely modern affliction of online addiction, "The Empty Hours" marries traditional and contemporary musical and narrative styles and seamlessly blends elements of Spanish Renaissance music with modern forms.

An opera for soprano, actress, chorus, piano, and chamber orchestra, the production will feature an internationally renowned cast, including Spanish soprano Laura Alonso and Brazilian actress Angelica de la Riva. Led by French conductor Emmanuel Plasson, musicians include Spanish pianist Rosa Torres-Pardo, the New York Opera Society Orchestra, and the Manhattan Choral Ensemble. German director Joachim Schamberger created virtual stage designs for the set.

Named "Best New Opera of 2007" by Festival der Sakralen Musik 2008, "The Empty Hours" has been presented in concert at the Berlin Cathedral and the UN General Assembly as part of a celebration of the "International Year of Languages" in 2008.

Llorca is considered one of the most innovative composers to emerge from Spain in recent years.
A Guggenheim fellow and member of The Juilliard School faculty, Llorca is composer-in-residence with The New York Opera Society, an opera company which specializes in new opera productions and commissions.

"In the tradition of some of the most inventive composers in opera history, Ricardo has crafted a monumental tragedy from the day-to-day details of modern life, exploring the internet's capacity for fragmentation and isolation with an emotional intensity that only opera can evoke," said Jennifer Cho, executive director of the New York Opera Society. "With New York being one of the most wired cities the world, we think its provocative theme and accessible, beautiful score will make it especially appealing to opera newcomers."

"With this opera I wanted to compose a piece that relates to the world of today; the world of the 21st century," said Llorca. "Instead of mythological themes, evil spells, or vindictive gods, The Empty Hours explores issues and topics that today's audiences confront on a daily basis."

Ricardo Llorca is one of the most promising talents to emerge from the new generation of contemporary Spanish composers. Llorca was born in 1962 in Alicante, a city located in the southeastern coastal region of Spain that has been the birthplace of many great musicians -Oscar Esplá, Ruperto Chapi, José Iturbi, López Chavarri, Martín y Soler, Joaquín Rodrigo, Tarrega, etc. He later moved to Madrid, where he studied at that city's Royal Conservatory under Román Alis and attended the most theoretically advanced courses at the Festival de Granada with Luigi Nono, Carmelo Bernaola, and Luis de Pablo. After graduating in 1988, Llorca traveled to New York in order to continue his studies at the Juilliard School, where he has worked with composers David Diamond and John Corigliano. Upon completing his studies, Llorca assumed a faculty position at Juilliard, and continues to teach there today. Llorca combines his teaching responsibilities at Juilliard with his work as a composer, which has garnered him the Richard Rogers Scholarship (1992), the Virgen de la Almudena Award (1999), and the John Simon Guggenheim Award (2001).

Ricardo Llorca is the composer-in-residence of The New York Opera Society for their 2008-09 and 2009/10 seasons; and the composer-in-residence for the New York based Dance Company "Sensedance". Llorca is a grant recipient of "The Argosy Foundation" and "Met-Life/Meet the Composer 2008". For more information, visit http://www.ricardollorca.com/

The New York Opera Society (NYOS) benefits artists and audiences alike through high quality, performance-driven, just-in-time productions here and abroad, offering fresh and sometimes provocative interpretations of contemporary and classical works.

Highlights from its most recent seasons include a new production of Falstaff for its annual festival in southern France under the baton of Emmanuel Plasson and l'Ensemble Instrumental du Pays de Cocagne; concerts of contemporary Spanish music for guitar, piano and voice by Guggenheim Fellow and Juilliard faculty Ricardo Llorca, at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute and the Chicago Cultural Center; an acclaimed orchestral evening of Italian Bel Canto for Wounded Warriors under the baton of Maestro Carlo Rizzari at the Italian Embassy; and widely celebrated Gershwin and Joplin concerts featuring International Distinguished Artist in Residence, soprano ChristIna Clark, at the National Gallery of Art and the World Financial Center.

NYOS annually tours a new production of an extant work abroad; features a contemporary opera or new commission in the United States; hosts a Salon Series and an International Artist in Residence Program; supports outreach in underserved communities; and runs a training program called Les Jeunes Solistes. The NYOS' artistic endeavors regularly involve local practitioners, organizations and musicians. The Society is led by its Executive Director Jennifer Cho, who has received numerous awards for her work in music since completing her studies as a dual alumna from Northwestern University, and by a dedicated Board of Directors chaired by its accomplished president A.T. Nguyen. For more information, visit www.newyorkoperasociety.com.

 

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