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All rights remain with the respective authors, composers, librettists, publishers, companies, performers, and rights holders.
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El Público
142
Spanish
Synopsis
A married theatre director, Enrique, is preparing a production of Romeo and Juliet but is haunted by visions of his former male lover, Gonzalo. Gonzalo urges him to abandon social conventions and stage the “theater under the sand” – a raw, truthful art that exposes hidden desires. When Enrique finally casts a boy as Juliet, the public’s reaction turns so violent that it sparks a revolution. The opera is a surrealist, openly homosexual cry against bourgeois hypocrisy and a plea for artistic and sexual freedom.
Composer
Mauricio Sotelo
Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright
Andrés Ibáñez (libretto, based on Federico García Lorca’s 1930 play)
Year of composition/publication / premiere
2010/2015
Genre
Opera
LGBTQAI+ category
Gay, Queer
Level of centrality
Main character
Characters
Enrique (the Director) / Gonzalo (his former lover)
Voice type
Baritone
Pronouns
he/him
Publisher / Rights holder
Universal Edition AG, Vienna (Sotelo’s works have been published by Universal Edition since 1991)
Where to buy / access the work
The DVD/Blu‑ray is available from Bel Air Classiques (catalogue no. BAC134) and major online retailers. The score can be rented/purchased through Universal Edition.
Performance rights
For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.
Official website
Audio recording(s)
Video performance(s)
Keywords
El Público, Mauricio Sotelo, Federico García Lorca, queer opera, homosexuality, Teatro Real, Spanish contemporary opera, under‑the‑sand theatre, flamenco‑spectral