Concert Programme
M. de Falla. opera „La vida breve“ (eng. A Short Life)
The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, led by its artistic director and chief conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, opens its 38th concert season with a vibrant piece of Spanish temperament – Manuel de Falla’s (1876–1946) opera “La vida breve” (“The Short Life”). The opera was born after a remarkably long and meticulous creative process: written between 1904 and 1905, it first saw the light of day in April 1913 in Nice, France. Following the initial premiere, and incorporating suggestions from Claude Debussy, de Falla reworked the opera's original number-based form into a piece characterized by a more seamless musical texture and mature orchestration. It is this version, which premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in December 1913, that became the standard performance version of the opera.
While creating “La vida breve”, the famous composer achieved a level of artistic mastery and ethnic authenticity that had never been realized in any previous Spanish lyric drama. De Falla combined professional orchestration, expressive melody, and traditional Spanish folk music elements. This allowed the opera to stand out from other works of the same genre, which lacked a universal style and technique. Furthermore, it is unusual in that the instrumental part is given almost as much musical space as the vocal part.
This is a story of immense passion and love that cannot cross social boundaries, and of a fate that brings doom to even the purest of desires. The main storyline revolves around Salud, who is madly in love with Paco, unaware that he is already betrothed to another woman. Salud's uncle Salvador and her grandmother attempt to stop her from disrupting Paco's upcoming wedding. The second act unfolds during the conflict at the wedding celebration, ultimately ending with Salud’s broken heart and her dramatic death at Paco's feet—a poignant expression of contempt for her former lover. Between celebration and grief, between love and betrayal, a drama is born in which the human heart becomes the instrument of a tragic fate.