(Credit: © Michal Novak)

Christof Loy has announced the creation of his own Zarzuela company.

The new company, “Los Paladines,” will see Loy collaborate with conductor José Miguel Pérez-Sierra and singers David Oller, Cristina Toledo, Carmen Artaza, and Santiago Sánchez.

Regarding the origins of the company, Loy said, “If ‘Die Zauberflöte’ had been written in Spanish, it would be considered a zarzuela. ‘Cavalleria rusticana’ in Spanish? – a zarzuela… One could even debate whether ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’ is a German Zarzuela… Zarzuela is not a type of Spanish operetta. Zarzuela simply means a musical theater work, originally written in Spanish, and you can find all kinds of ‘genres’ within this field. From baroque operas, musical comedies, tragedies, lyric comedies, or verismo-style dramas to revue-style pieces. My idea is to help this genre find its rightful place in the international musical world, to raise awareness of the variety and quality of pieces that, through injustice and ignorance, have been put in a box where they don’t belong.”

Loy’s work in Zarzuela will be seen this season as he directs “Benamor” at the Theater an der Wien, “El Gato Montes” at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and “El Barberillo de Lavapies” at the Theater Basel. 

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