At Boulder Opera, we are thrilled to welcome back Steven Aguiló-Arbues to conduct our upcoming performance of Massenet’s Manon! Arbues has worked with us before in productions such as L'enfant et les Sortilèges, and we are elated to have his talent for our grand finale production of Manon.
Argentinean-American Steven Aguiló-Arbues enjoys an active career as a conductor, chorus master, vocal coach, and recitalist. His love for opera has led him to work with Sarasota Opera, Opera Colorado, Atlanta Opera, Central City Opera, San Diego Opera, Festival Amadeus (Montana), the Crested Butte Music Festival, the Miami Music Festival, and Centro Studi Lirica (Italy).
Boulder Opera: What are you most looking forward to about conducting Manon?
Arbues: This music is so beautiful! It’s so lush and full of lyric romanticism that pours directly from the heart. As a conductor, one of my jobs is having everyone sound their best. I look forward to making beautiful music with everyone, from its most intense passionate phrases, to its most tender moments.
BOC: What are some challenges of Manon?
Arbues: Manon is a true masterpiece, and with that comes certain challenges. One of the main challenges is having the phrases and melodies sound as natural as possible. The composer, Jules Massenet, was very specific with his rubato, or the expressive shaping of the phrases through give and take with the tempo. Emotions are constantly shifting and changing within the text and story, so naturally, so does the music. With all of this, pacing the opera as a conductor can sometimes be challenging as well. There are certainly moments that make time stand still, but you must also recognize when momentum must be built within the music to set ablaze those climactic moments and emotions in the story.
BOC: In your opinion, what is/are the best moment(s) in Manon?
Arbues: This opera has so many wonderful moments to experience. Some of my favorites are the duets between Manon and Chevalier des Grieux, as well as some of the ensembles including other characters of the show. And who can forget the exquisite arias!
BOC: What should people be looking forward to at our performances of Manon?
Arbues: I hope people can connect with the story and the whirlwind of emotions through this opera’s wonderful music and context. Manon will be sung in French, but there will be English supertitles so as to not miss a word. Massenet’s music is so descriptive and lush, there will be times when you won’t even need to read the titles. We also have a great cast bringing this operatic gem to life. You won’t want to miss this production.
BOC: What do you see in store for the future of opera? Is opera still relevant these days?
Arbues: Opera is more relevant than ever. Not only are there new operas being composed and produced that address current issues, but the timeless classic masterworks still speak to us. Some of the same challenges and issues people were facing centuries ago are still part of our lives today, and also the complexity and range of emotions that go along with them. Opera has the opportunity to shed light on our perspective of story-telling (historical or fictional). It can shed light on ourselves and who we are — or better yet, who we want to be.
Grab your tickets for Manon today!
A French grand opera and our season grand finale!