San Diego Opera’s mission of including new and unusual works alongside timeless classics continues when the company presents the West Coast premiere of Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (To Cross the Face of the Moon), a mariachi opera, Saturday, March 16, for two performances only at 2 and 7 p.m.
The renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, known as the world’s best mariachi and heard on more than 800 recordings, takes the stage for this bi-lingual work following three generations of a single family, spanning countries, cultures and customs. Performed in Houston and Paris, this semi-staged production receives its West Coast premiere in San Diego.
Cruzar la Cara de la Luna tells the story of Mark, a Mexican-American dealing with the approaching death of his immigrant father. As long-buried secrets are revealed, he finds himself dramatically re-evaluating his own understanding of what makes a family. Like the Monarch butterflies which migrate every year to the birthplace of Mark’s father, the members of the Velasquez family must travel both physically and spiritually between Michoacán and Texas and look deep into their hearts before they learn where they truly belong.
Cruzar la Cara de la Luna was composed by José “Pepe” Martinez to a libretto by Leonard Foglia. Cruzar la Cara de la Luna had its world premiere Nov. 13, 2010 in Houston, Texas.
