by Antonia Jauregui
Under the production and direction of Stefano Poda, a cast
of 1,000 will be on stage in Guatemala City performing Verdi’s Aïda. They
include professional dancers, singers, actors, members of the Guatemalan Olympic
Committee, members of the national choirs, the Guatemalan Ballet, schools and
a local artistic group that was founded by Poda. In years past, he has brought
Verdi’s Macbeth and Dante’s The Divine Comedy to the capital and
La Antigua Guatemala.
Born in Trenton, Italy, Poda studied with Beni Montresor,
combining set design, choreography, lighting, costumes and direction, “to
be able to give the idea of a complete show, a complete art that unifies all
the arts ... to make opera an art that not only a certain kind of public can
identify with and enjoy, but an art that has the potential to unify all audiences.”
His unique style earned him praise as ‘the prodigious
magician’ by the Barcelona paper La Vanguardia. “The style which
I use is a very personal, very peculiar style I have formed over time. Despite
having undergone many evolutions, my style has always been distinctive, like
the stroke of a painter,” he muses.
Of Aïda he says, “It is a passionate and beautiful opera,
and, in this particular presentation, everything will be expressed through symbols,
so that one can interpret it according to one’s own culture, sensitivity
and the need that one carries within.”
Saturday, December 17 at 6 p.m. at Campo Marte,
zona 5, Guatemala City
Sponsored and produced in conjunction with the
Proyecto Mosaico Cultural. Check local listings for ticket information.
