Journey to Cuba ~ Reading

This event, Journey to Havana, is the first reading of an original opera depicting Mercedes from her youth to her Parisian years- and back to Cuba in search of her identity. The opera will bring to the fore the contradictions of her spirit. The central scene depicting her Parisian salon will be based on this applicant’s prior play, “A Night in Paris”.

Mercedes Jaruco- Countess Merlin was perhaps the most fascinating Cuban writer of her time. She was known by many as the queen of Parisian salons” a testament to her talent and charm- and admired by Liszt, Rossini, Musset, and Chopin, who frequented her home. Jaruco found time to become a fabulous singer, studying with Manuel Garcia- singing only for charity events. She convinced Rossini to engage Malibran -to accommodate the audience for which she had the inner doors of her apartments taken out. (Jaruco would later write the biography of Malibran).  Mercedes led a tumultuous life, beyond the constraints of polite society. She was at odds with the administration of Cuba. ‘The administration of injustice replaces the administration of justice here”. Yet despite her accomplishments, today she is practically forgotten except in academic circles, in which she is remembered mostly by her, Journey to Havana”, written in French, and translated into Spanish.

See you at the Sala Santa Cecilia!