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La Gran Vía |
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This material is © Christopher Webber,
Blackheath, London, UK. Last updated February 11th
2001
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La Gran
Vía by Federico Chueca and Joaquín
Valverde libretto by Felipe Pérez y
Gonzalez
®
recommended
recording
For many, La Gran Vía is the essential
género chico zarzuela. By turns simple and sophisticated,
satirical and celebratory, musically direct but subtly organised, its vitality
and popularity are undimmed by time. Yet strictly speaking La Gran
Vía isn't a zarzuela at all, but a revista (revue). There's
virtually no plot. The characters are either archetypal or named after Madrid
streets. As a glance at the ICCMU variorum score shows, its creators
chopped and changed their musical and verbal material regularly to keep the
social comment freshly topical. |

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Felipe Pérez's script was a bold mixture of comic
fantasy, social comment and political satire, centred on the creation of La
Gran Vía, Madrid's answer to London's Piccadilly or New York's Broadway.
The demolition of older streets and suburbs to make way for the sophisticated
modern thoroughfare proved as controversial as the massive funding put aside
for the project, which effectively reformed the centre of the city.
Chueca and Valverde had been collaborating since 1875.
They had already enjoyed huge success with La canción de la Lola
in 1880, and La Gran Vía was to eclipse even the controversial
Lola in popularity. Like many of Chueca's scores, the original version
of La Gran Vía was conceived as a suite of songs and choruses
based on popular dance forms - Polka, Waltz, Tango, Jota, Mazurka, Chotis and
March. Later additions (seldom heard today) included a children's choir,
another Polka and Waltz, and a Pasodoble. Chueca's melodic and rhythmic
vitality are as potent today as ever they were, and many of the numbers still
retain their status as popular hits. As for Valverde, current musicological
opinion suggests his contribution was primarily the addition of orchestral
polish.
La Gran Vía as seen and heard today is usually the
shorter, original version, performed at the Teatro Felipe in Madrid on
July 2nd 1886 as a one-act revista madrileña
cómico-lírica, fantástico-callejera ("Madrid revue,
lyric comedy, fantasy street-scene") in five scenes. Taking Madrid by storm, it
transferred to the larger Teatro Apolo when the Teatro Felipe closed,
gradually evolving for many months after. It also made its way successfully to
Paris, Vienna, Prague - and even in a fashion to London and New York, where
Chueca's music provided the substance for Spanish revues not remotely akin to
Pérez's original script.
Scene
1. An assortment of threatened Madrid streets and squares appear singing
and dancing. The Calles de la Sartén, Libertad, Primavera, Paloma, Luna
Montera and Turco amongst others complain about the announcement of the birth
of a new street - La Gran Vía or "High Street" - which is going to
result in their demolition (No.1:
Introducción y Polka de las Calles "Somos las calles" -
Polka of the Streets). El Paseante ("idler") saunters in, and discovers the
reason for the streets' consternation.
Off La Gran Vía even today, we may still find a seedy
little alley somewhat grandly named Caballero de Gracia ("Graceful Gentleman").
This worthy now appears, common, ridiculous and affected, boasting about his
amorous conquests and the birth of the new street. His swaggering mock-Viennese
waltz is mocked by the other streets and squares (No.2: Vals del Caballero de Gracia
"Caballero de Gracia me llaman" - Waltz of the Graceful Gentleman).
El Paseante joins the Caballero in conversation, and a medical official, Don
Comadrón ("male midwife") appears, announcing that the birth of the new
street is to be delayed for a long time, due to lack of funding and corporate
wrangling.
 Felipe Pérez y Gonzalez with the
Ratas' Cage
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Scene
2. After a brief Interlude (No.3: Interludio orquestal) we find
ourselves in a small plaza on the outskirts of central Madrid. The Caballero
and El Paseante discuss the political incompetence which has brought about the
current impasse.
La Menegilda ("housemaid") appears. In the famous song, she
relates the dubious course of her brief career under the Lady of the House and
beyond (No.4: Tango de la Menegilda
"Pobre chica" - Housemaid's Tango). No sooner has she finished than
Doña Virtudes ("virtue") the Lady of the House herself appears, to put
her audience right on the true course of events, to the same infectious tango
tune (No.4a: Tango de Doña
Virtudes "Pobres amas" - Doña Virtudes' Tango). After a
violent altercation, both ladies leave. |
Three more semi-allegorical figures (taking their names from
quarters of the city) emerge to plague the Caballero and El Paseante -
Prosperidad ("prosperity") begging alms; Pacífico ("pacifism")
fermenting discord; and Injurias ("damages") hurling insults. A brief
orchestral allegro is followed by another satirical scene, as two
characters representing Petroleum and Gas argue over their superior power - and
profitability. They are followed by three Ratas ("pickpockets"), who boast of
their thieving skills whilst cheekily eluding capture by two incompetent
Policemen (No.6: Jota de las Ratas
"Soy el Rata primero"- Pickpockets' Jota).
Scene
3. In Puerta del Sol - Madrid's busiest square then as now - Doña
Sinceridad (Sincerity) is mocked by her children. The Caballero and El Paseante
listen to the woeful story of the Fountain in the middle of the plaza, as she
complains that the Town Council are going to knock her down to make room for a
tramcar route. A Paleto (bumpkin) robs the Caballero and El Paseante while they
continue to debate the advances in Civic responsibility and government policy.
A group of Marineritos ("little midshipmen", played by the female chorus) have
come to Madrid to admire the architecture, but some double-entendres of
their song suggest other possibilities (No. 8: Mazurka de los Marineritos
"Somos los marineritos" - Midshipmens' Mazurka).
[In later versions, this scene was set in Calle de
Alcalá and contained two alternative numbers. In No. 12: Vals de
la Seguridad "Soy salvaguardia de la sociedad" - the Waltz of the
Security Police, an officer is mocked by a group of streetboys. No. 13:
Pasodoble de los Sargentos "Ustedes por lo visto" - Sergeants'
Pasodoble, pokes further satire at the lazy incompetence of the
police.]
 Madrileños dance the Chotis
(Schottische)
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Scene
4. [In some versions, two later additions were variously inserted at
this point. Two fashionable layabouts, Gomosa and Sietemesino - Dandy and
Whippersnapper - pass on their way to a skating rink. The salesmen on a toy
stall demonstrate their wares to El Paseante and the Caballero in a
Mazurka.]
The Caballero and El Paseante find themselves at the
Elíseo madrileño (Madrid Elysium), a disreputable dancehall at
the top of Calle Velázquez frequented by "maids, porters and cooks" -
and another impending victim of the civic developments. The ladylike
Elíseo herself leads the company in a surprisingly poised and elegant
dance (No. 10: Chotis del Elíseo
madrileño "Yo soy un baile de criadas" - The Elysium
Schottische). |
At the end of the dance, Don Comadrón the midwife rushes in
and excitedly announces the new birthdate for La Gran Vía - the 30th
February ... if it exists! [A later addition added another number to this
scene - Vals del Juego (Player's Waltz). This was an elaborate number
featuring dancers and singers dressed as cards, roulette numbers and other
games, all finally rounded up by the long-suffering police.]
Scene
5. A plaza on La Gran Vía itself. A general celebration ensues to
mark the birth of the wonderful new thoroughfare, as a futuristic vision of the
City rises in the background (No. 11: Marcha y desfile general - March
and Walkdown Parade).
Note: To summarise, later versions (from 1887) also included
the following musical numbers. No.5: Allegro orquestal - orchestral
interlude; No.7: Coro de niños y allegro orquestal - Children's
chorus and orchestral allegro; No.9: Polka de la Gomosa y el Sietemesino, y
allegretto casi andantino - Polka of the Dandy and the Whippersnapper, and
orchestral allegretto; No.12: Vals de la Seguridad - Policemen's Waltz;
No. 13: Pasodoble de los Sargentos - Sergeant's Pasodoble.
complete song
texts
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