– ÉL. From Darkness to Light – the Gran Canaria-born composer’s operatic debut is a powerful statement against gender-based violence, commissioned by Fundación CajaCanarias and the Zamora festival, co-produced with Montevideo’s Teatro Solís to mark the centenary of Mercedes Pinto’s novel and its feminist legacy.
On 25 July, the Teatro Ramos Carrión in Zamora will host the world premiere of ÉL. From Darkness to Light, the first opera by Gran Canaria-born composer Laura Vega. The creation of this one-act chamber opera, part of the 11th edition of the LittleOpera Zamora Festival, serves a dual commemorative purpose: honouring writer Mercedes Pinto (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1883 – Mexico City, 1976) on the 50th anniversary of her death, while celebrating the centenary of the publication of her autobiographical novel ÉL, which first appeared on 21 August 1926 in Montevideo. The work features dramaturgy and stage direction by Rita Cosentino and draws on the author’s life and her courageous testimony on gender-based violence and psychological abuse within the home—issues that, as Vega herself stresses, “continue to affect so many women well into the 21st century.”
A Story of Resilience and Hope
In the composer’s own words, her connection to Mercedes Pinto’s work was immediate: “When I received the proposal to compose an opera based on this novel, even on first reading I felt it hadn’t come to me by chance; I felt destined to capture in music what Mercedes Pinto conveyed in her words.” Vega highlights not only the pain and courage of the protagonist, but also the enduring relevance of a story of struggle, resilience, and liberation. The opera—whose subtitle announces a “journey from darkness to light”—proposes an emotional arc that moves from guilt, terror, and pain towards hope and freedom. For the composer, it was essential “to express the protagonist’s inner world musically and convey a message of hope to those who might see themselves reflected in that story.”
A Shared Creative Process
Laura Vega, whose catalogue boasts over eighty works performed by prestigious orchestras, promises an intensely powerful sound world for ÉL. From Darkness to Light, blending lyric voices with the work of a spoken-word actress. “I believe the contrast between spoken and sung words reinforces both the realism and the timeless dimension of Mercedes Pinto’s story,” Vega notes. The cast for this world premiere features mezzo-soprano Cristina Faus, tenor Manuel Gómez Ruiz, and actors Teresa del Olmo and Aarón Martín, who will bring the story to life alongside the Ensemble Sinfónica de Rivas Alma Mahler and pianist Miguel Huertas-Camacho, all under the musical direction of Martín Jorge. The artistic team is completed by Rita Cosentino’s stage direction (she also wrote the libretto) and her assistant Aarón Martín, set and costume design by Alejandra G. Requeijo, and lighting by David Bofarrull and Quim Algora. “I feel fortunate to be sharing this project with all of them,” confesses the Canarian composer.
The Legacy of a Pioneer
The figure of Mercedes Pinto—a woman ahead of her time who advocated for divorce as a “hygienic measure” in Primo de Rivera’s Spain and was forced into exile in Uruguay—has been central to the project. Laura Vega has expressed her gratitude to researcher Alicia Llarena for her “essential work in recovering and bringing to light the figure of an exceptional woman, a pioneer in the defence of women’s rights who dared to denounce domestic violence in a Spain where there wasn’t even a language to name it.” With this work, the LittleOpera Zamora Festival reaffirms its commitment to contemporary creation, historical memory, and social advocacy through the medium of chamber opera. ◆