The Wild Cat by Penella, From (2022/2022), Directed by Raúl Vázquez, Conductor Oliver Díaz, Teatro de la Maestranza, Seville, Spain

A bullfighter, Rafael, and the bandit Juanillo -known as the Gato Montés (The Wildcat) fight each other over the love of a gypsy woman called Soleá. The rivalry of the two men -in reality, two sides of the same coin- unleashes tragic conflict and questions of honor. Composer Manuel Penella took his opera to the United States in 1921 after four triumphant years in Spain, with Pastora Imperio and Concha Piquer. Andalusian farmhouses, the bandit's cave high in the hills, or the courtyard of the Maestranza bullring in Seville where the horses are saddled evoke the settings for an opera which includes a whole display of popular melodies, including the famous “pasodoble” Torero Quiero Ser , heard at every bullfight to this day. The clichés of Spanish identity are revised in an opera of high dramatic impact and great musical depth.