La Jornada: “I like to show from today’s perspective the emotionality of women from other times”

“I love being on the stage of ‘tragicosa’ (very tragic). So I won’t have a problem dying once again,” underlines soprano Cecilia Eguiarte with a mischievous pout as she reveals one of the aspects she most enjoys about her operatic work.

The confession is worth it for her debut as Salud, the opera’s protagonist with a disastrous fate. The short life, that the national Opera (CNO) and Dance (CND) companies present together with ballet witchy love to honor Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), its author, on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

It is a historic production – as this newspaper reported a few days ago (The Day, 5/4/26) – well, as far as we know, they had never been staged together, under the same narrative thread. The performances take place at the Palace of Fine Arts from yesterday until May 7.

For Cecilia Eguiarte, opera is a mirror that allows us to compare current reality with that of other times. “It shudders me to show the emotionality of women from other times from the perspective of the 21st century,” she explains.

And the character of Salud, a young and conscious gypsy, trapped between love, social pressure, gender inequality and uprooting, offers her just that: “She tries to break the hegemonic pattern, but the pressure of the patriarchs, the religious, the economic and the racial take her to the brink of madness and death. She continues to reflect many women today.”

In his opinion, to date a romanticized vision of love prevails that is totally unfair, since it is “an imposed love, a love that we are educated in, a love in which women must marry and have children,” which is why he urges us to avoid it and combat it.

“You have to get out of that hegemonic pattern and unfold yourself. Salud, with all its might, tries; but unfortunately it doesn’t succeed. Unfortunately, this work still allows us to show many women of today.”

Remembering that Manuel de Falla turns 150 years old and The short life It has more than a century since its premiere, it highlights that in the operatic repertoire there are many other titles with the same or similar theme, and it proposes giving them a twist.

“If we continue staging them (operas with these themes) from an increasingly gender perspective, we will be able to find other routes and transmit messages that confront these patterns and deconstruct ourselves,” he maintains.

“What better way to do it through art, opera and ballet! They say that no one cares about ballet and opera, but now we put them together, and I am convinced that they are going to matter a lot to us.”

One of the biggest challenges of this production, says the soprano, is that the libretto The short life It is in Spanish, which allows you to explore the meaning of the words in a deeper way.

“I have been working with Abdiel Vázquez (the concert director) to focus well on where the phrase, the word, is going, because we have it in our language. So we can get the most out of it,” he points out.

But he warns: “sometimes we dedicate ourselves to studying accents and pronunciation in other languages ​​and you realize that in your own language there are many emotional voids. One is saying the word, but one is not really saying it, from the inside.”

For this reason, the singer assumes that her greatest challenge has been to build the character from each word: “Putting an intention automatically changes the sound. It is something very visceral, emotional, radical.”

The proximity of the language, far from simplifying the task, demands an even deeper acting truth, considers the singer in an interview at the end of one of the rehearsals.

Cecilia Eguiarte reaffirms the unprecedented nature of this joint production of Witchy love-The brief life: “They have never come together in a single narrative, which is strange, because it happens very naturally. It is historic, without a doubt.”

Directed by the Spanish choreographer Nuria Castejón, the performance integrates song and dance. For the soprano, alternating with dancers has been a great learning opportunity. “As a singer you express yourself through your voice, but seeing how the dancers move, even if it’s just a hand, blows your mind. Beauty comes from chaos, discipline and perseverance.”

Two casts will alternate the role of Health. The other soprano is Angélica Alejandre. “We have nourished each other,” says Cecilia. And he concludes with the same mischievous certainty: “I am in love with this character, with his strength. Dying on stage, once again, will be a pleasure.”