The opera ‘Le Malentendu’ triumphs in Madrid, following its success in Buenos Aires, Warsaw and Vienna

‘Le Malentendu,’ based on the work of the same name by Albert Camus, with a French libretto by Juan Lucas, was conducted by Walter Kobéra, with stage direction by Christoph Zauner. ‘The collaboration with Kobéra began at the co-production stage, as we proposed that Neue Oper Wien, a major institution dedicated to contemporary opera in Vienna, should collaborate with the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires. Walter learned the various stages of the score as it emerged and we developed a very fluid collaboration through numerous meetings,’ explains the composer.

The opera tells the story of a man who after many years of living abroad, returns home incognito without knowing that his sister and widowed mother earn a living by offering accommodation to transients, whom they offer a bed before killing and robbing them. Neither of them recognize their brother and son, so he ends up meeting the same fate as the rest of the travelers. It is a psychological drama that creates a perfect harmony between electronic music, amplification, instrumentation and the French text.

‘I chose this opera because it has all the ingredients of a Greek tragedy, and at the same time has a very clear component of modernity and of a thriller, even a touch of humor at a second reading,’ says Panisello.

‘Le Malentendu’ has been subtitled in the local language in the different cities in which it has been performed, as the work’s original language was preserved. ‘I didn’t want to change the language, because the French of Camus is full of nuances and the most reasonable course of action was to respect the text, with all its richness, as it was, particularly since this was an international production,’ explains Fabián Panisello.

‘Le Malentendu,’ produced in Madrid by the Teatro Real and Teatros de Canal, has been a great success, with a good response from reviewers in all the cities where it has been performed. Panisello has highlighted the level of diversity of the audience: ‘In general we’ve had a very warm and good quality public. There was the ageless and cultured audience that gives a meaning to productions and who knows perfectly how to distinguish a work of quality, but we’ve also had a very good feedback from theater directors, writers, artists, composers, musicians… and that is also very important.’