Please note, that due to the subject the performance may presents sensitive content. 12+

As far as its musical genre is concerned, the tango opera María de Buenos Aires is a rather unconventional creation. The composer labelled it an operita, which supposedly means »a minor musical piece«. In 1967, the Uruguayan-Argentinian poet Horacio Ferrer published a collection of poems dedicated to the Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzola. The latter was impressed by the poet's collection and lyrics that conjured in him the same feelings he hoped to evoke in the listeners of his music. This encounter soon led to a fruitful collaboration – María de Buenos Aires, their first joint work, premiered in May 1968 at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires, was followed by others, such as Balada para un loco. Maria de Buenos Aires, created when student, feminist and anti-war movements were rising across Europe and North America, faced different circumstances in its native Argentina. The government at the time aimed to suppress all forms of immorality, which included, among other things, excessive avant-garde. After the premiere, the reviewers criticised the piece for its obscure, surrealist and - owing to its poetic nature -, incomprehensible libretto, thus discouraging a part of the audience from seeing the performance. Ferrer replied that its essence lies precisely in this, and that it is not about understanding it but rather about the atmosphere that it creates and thus evokes a variety of strong emotions in the audience. The music, the so-called new tango (tango nuevo), reflects the time and environment of its creation, namely by incorporating more modern styles and instruments at the time, such as the vibraphone, electric guitar and drums, while at the same time preserving the traditional elements of Argentinian musical traditions, such as verse dialogue and conventional tango instruments: flute, acoustic guitar, violin and bandoneon.
Who is María, the main character of the operita? María is Buenos Aires and she is tango, says Ferrer. This is reflected in the libretto, which combines the street slang of the criminal life of the time with biblical and ritual references. In the operita we witness Maria's birth, death and resurrection. Maria is, above all, personified femininity, who remains innocent and pure despite the unfavourable environment.
The Slovenian audience will experience Maria de Buenos Aires for the first time as a ballet premiere. The performance choreographed by Renato Zanella and directed by Yulia Kristorova unites and unifies dance, words and singing into a work of art that erases the distance between the audience and the artist.

Text: Tamara Šmit, Tatjana Ažman