information:filtering, linguistic:paraphrasing
Latin America

Latin American opera underwent a gradual evolution over time: during the colonial period, Italian or Spanish operas were performed; after the independence of the colonies, native works began to be produced, but which followed the rules of Italian opera; over time, local elements were added, generally with a folkloric or popular air; finally, works of a universal character began to be produced.

In Argentina, opera was carried by Italian companies, after the country's independence. In 1857, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires was opened. One of the first local composers was Arturo Berutti, author of Pampa (1897) and Yupanqui (1899). In 1908, Héctor Panizza had a great success with Aurora. In 1916, Felipe Boero composed Tucumán to commemorate the centenary of independence; another work of his was El Matrero (1929), considered the Argentine national opera. Other authors were: Pascual De Rogatis (Huémac, 1916), Constantino Vicente Gaito (Petronio, 1919; Ollantay, 1926), Floro Ugarte (Saika, 1920) and Athos Palma (La novia del hereje, 1935).

In Brazil, when the Portuguese court moved to the new continent in 1808, due to the Napoleonic invasion, it brought with it a taste for Italian opera. Gradually, local composers emerged, among them Carlos Gomes, the first Latin American composer to triumph in Europe (Joana de Flandres, 1863; Il Guarany, 1870; Salvator Rosa, 1874; Maria Tudor, 1878; Lo Schiavo, 1889), who, however, wrote in Italian, in a late-Verdian style. The first attempts in Portuguese were by composers such as Francisco Braga (O contractador de diamantes, 1901) and Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (Malazarte, 1921).

In Colombia, the first production was Ester (1874), by José María Ponce de León. In Chile, Telésfora (1841), by Aquinas Ried.

Cuba began in the operatic tradition while a Spanish colony. Throughout the 19th century, Italian opera triumphed above all. In 1875, Laureano Fuentes Matons composed the first Cuban opera, La hija de Jefté. Later, Ignacio Cervantes (Los Saltimbanquis, 1899) and Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes (El náufrago, 1901). There were also composers of zarzuelas, such as Ernesto Lecuona (María la O, 1930; El cafetal, 1930) and Eliseo Grenet (Niña Rita, 1927; La virgen morena, 1928).

In Guatemala, Italian opera was introduced in the early 19th century. In 1859 the Teatro Carrera, later called Nacional and, since 1886, Colón, was inaugurated. The first local opera was La mora generosa (1850), by José Escolástico Andrino. Already in the 20th century, Jesús Castillo (Quiché Vinak, 1924) stood out.

Mexico had an operatic tradition from its colonial past: a Mexican opera, La Parténope (1711), by Manuel de Sumaya, was produced as early as the 18th century. The opera tradition was centered in Mexico City (Palacio de Bellas Artes, inaugurated in 1934) and cities such as Guanajuato and Guadalajara. In the early 19th century Italian opera predominated, until the second half saw the first local productions with authors such as Melesio Morales (Romeo and Juliet, 1863; Ildegonda, 1866; Gino Corsini, 1877), Aniceto Ortega (Guatemotzin, 1871), Felipe Villanueva (Keofar, 1892), Ricardo Castro (Atzimba, 1900) and Gustavo Campa (El rey poeta, 1901).

In Nicaragua, Luis Abraham Delgadillo was outstanding: Final de Norma (1930), Mabaltayán (1942).

In Peru, European cultural life was closely followed in the 19th century. The first opera in the country was Atahualpa (1875), by the Italian Carlo Enrico Pasta. Subsequently, José María Valle Riestra (Ollanta, 1900) and Ernesto López Mindreau (Nueva Castilla, 1926) stood out.

In Uruguay, the Teatro Solís in Montevideo, the country's main operatic center, was opened in 1856. Among its composers were: Tomás Giribaldi (La Parisina, 1878), Alfonso Broqua (Tabaré, 1888), León Ribeiro (Colón, 1892; Liropeya, 1912), Manuel M. Ponce (El patio florido, 1913) and Carlos Pedrell (Ardid de amor, 1917; La guitarra, 1924).

In Venezuela, it is worth mentioning: José Ángel Montero (Virginia, 1873) and Reynaldo Hahn (Le Marchand de Venise, 1935).