'Aleluya!': Opera Southwest to perform Spanish-language version of Handel's Messiah

You could call the holidays the land of a thousand Messiahs.

Both the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Santa Fe Symphony are doing it.

Opera Southwest will perform George Frederic Handel’s timeless classic with a twist — a Spanish libretto.

The concert is slated for Friday, Nov. 22, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

'Aleluya!': Opera Southwest to perform Spanish-language version of Handel's Messiah

The company’s recent absorption of the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus provided an incentive. Aaron Howe will serve as chorus master of the NMSC.

“Everybody’s doing the Messiah,” said conductor and artistic director Anthony Barrese. “What are we going to do to make it interesting?”

Barrese discovered a new Spanish translation commissioned by the Contra Costa Bach Society.

“It will keep the chorus on its toes,” Barrese said.

The four soloists are all Spanish-speaking: soprano Cecilia Violetta López, mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa, tenor Dane Suarez and baritone Jean Carlos Rodriguez.

OSW has experienced success with past Spanish-language programs. “Bless Me, Ultima” (2018) lured enough audiences to demand an additional show, Barrese said.

“‘Zorro’ (2022) was really well sold,” he added. “It brings in a completely different group of people — probably people for whom opera seems a bit distant.

“Many people don’t realize we have supertitles,” he continued. “Since Albuquerque is a pretty equal bilingual city, this will be pretty interesting. Language was never meant to be a barrier for opera.”

The alliance between Opera Southwest and the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus was borne of past collaborations, including 2014’s “The Pearl Fishers” and 2015’s “Aida.” OSW plans to continue that partnership with a focus on major symphonic choral works with orchestra.

In May, the merged organizations will take on Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem.” They will also perform in a New Year’s Eve concert.