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A Spanish Hour?

English

Synopsis

A one-act comedic opera that playfully reimagines Maurice Ravel’s L'heure espagnole with a 21st-century, 2SLGBTQIA+ lens. The story is set on a Toronto summer patio and follows a group of queer lovers navigating a single "free hour" of romantic and sexual possibilities. Roles originally written for mezzo-soprano are now voiced as a tenor, and the buffo-bass role is sung by a mezzo-soprano, echoing themes of gender fluidity.

Composer

Maurice Ravel (original music). The adaptation was directed and produced by J. Patrick Raftery, with music direction by Gordon Gerrard.

Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright

J. Patrick Raftery and Peter Tiefenbach

Year of composition/publication / premiere

2024

Genre

Opera

LGBTQAI+ category

Queer

Level of centrality

Main character

Characters

Conception, Dawn, Gonzalve (a non-binary character), Ram, Toto

Voice type

Bass, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor

Pronouns

Publisher / Rights holder

Where to buy / access the work

Performance rights

For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.