The Colón Ballet is back

            We have two big state-run ballet companies within a 70-km. range: the Colón and the Argentino. The first had been in sore trouble during 2010; the second had a normal season. Now auspiciously both are active. ( I will write about the Argentino in another article).

            As readers are probably aware, the Colón Ballet had a horrid year, with cancellations all over the place and open conflict. The main problem was the quality of both floors: those of the stage and of the rehearsal space. The dancers insisted that they were too hard and inflexible and that they produced lesions, and a big group refused to dance under such conditions. Colón Director Pedro Pablo García Caffi didn´t accept the claim and cancelled the remaining season after the second title of the year.  But later (too late) he had second thoughts and said that although the dancers were not right, he would import two state-of-the-art Harlequin floors. Well, one of them arrived and was installed; the other languishes in our customs in one of those recurring and maddening episodes of administrative silliness through the decades.

            This year the orchestras are in conflict, although they are now finally playing, but as I told in a recent article, matters aren´t solved and could become unhinged again any moment. And the "light at the end of the tunnel" is getting dimmer, as weeks go by without a solution and frustration grows. In early March García Caffi said in a press conference that there would be no subscription series for opera, ballet or the Buenos Aires Philharmonic. But he did say that there would be ballet performances, if necessary with recorded music. As it happens, the precarious arrangement with the orchestras provided the ballet with the Resident Orchestra (Orquesta Estable) for the first title of the year, the Triple Bill called  "Neoclassical Trilogy".

            Meanwhile, the fact of having just one new floor complicated matters; it seems the floor is adequate for there have been no complaints from the dancers, but the same Harlequin has had to be used for both the rehearsal room and the stage; blessedly, it can be transported, otherwise we were in trouble. However, and showing again what arbitrariness prevails at the Colón, dancers did complain of insufficient rehearsal because apparently the authorities were waiting for the conflict with the orchestras to arrive at the present arrangement. What is the credibility, then, of the Colón´s Director saying that rehearsals and performances would take place anyway, with or without the orchestra? And as the programme was quite interesting but difficult, some leniency is in order in this review.

            Once all this is said and taken into account, however, I must say I enjoyed the show and that it was moving to see with what enthusiasm the whole Ballet intervened. The concept was right: three Neoclassical pieces (one of them a premiere) by valuable choreographers, all of them dead, put on by reliable specialists in their styles. I have pleasant memories of the distant Colón premiere of "Nuestros valses" by the Venezuelan Vicente Nebrada, on charming waltzes by his compatriot Teresa Carreño. Five pas de deux interlaced by transitions led by a couple in red (there´s a different color for each couple) give us a tasteful and charming succession of refined salon dancing. And they were very nicely done, especially by Silvina Perillo and Federico Fernández (red) and by Natalia Pelayo and Alejandro Parente (I saw the cast of April 19). Leonardo Marconi was the good piano player, and the revival was in the hands of Zane Wilson and Yanis Pikieris.

            "Marguerite and Armand", the premiere, was Sir Frederick Ashton´s tribute to the art of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, and it tells of course the story of "The lady of the camelias", taking as musical basis the Liszt Sonata in an arrangement for piano and orchestra by Dudley Simpson where the orchestra has little to do. The problem is that (as often with music thought for another use) the dramatic action and the music don´t always correspond. The second problem is that the Neoclassical style is too cool for such a Romantic story. But Ashton was a resourceful choreographer and the piece is worth knowing. The lovers were interpreted with intensity and fine technique by Sofía Menteguiaga and Fernández; it is futile to imagine what Fonteyn and Nureyev might have done with this material. The excellent pianist was Iván Rutkauskas, and the Orquesta Estable was conducted by Carlos Bertazza. Grant Coyle was the transmitter of Ashton´s ideas.

            George Balanchine is my favorite choreographer of all time, so I´m partial. I find "Symphony in C" (on Bizet´s symphony), either with this later title or the original ("Crystal Palace" for the Paris Ballet de l´Opéra, with lovely stage designs by Leonor Fini) –I´ve seen them both- one of his best works, the epitome of a choreographer´s musicality, meaning that every single trait of the music is faithfully reproduced by the dance steps, and also of his inexhaustible ingenuity. The principal dancers were Karina Olmedo and Juan Pablo Ledo in the first movement; Gabriela Alberti and Parente in the second; Carla Vincelli and Edgardo Trabalón in the third; and Maricel De Mitri and Gerardo Wyss in the fourth. But the Corps de Ballet has enormous work to do, and when all these fine soloists and members of the corps danced together in the final stretches of the work, the result was astonishing and exhilarating. Victoria Simon was the faithful heir of the choreographer´s imagination. More rehearsal would have avoided small hesitancies, and the Colón Ballet isn´t Balanchine´s New York outfit, but the result was very honorable. The Estable played no more than correctly under Javier Logioia Orbe; however,  the dance was the thing,  and I´m happy to welcome the Colón Ballet back.

The world of three orchestras

            An orchestra is a small world. About a hundred people live a communal life led by a Principal Conductor, and they depend on a complex public and/or private administration and sponsorship. Theirs is a busy, sometimes hectic life, in which they are in close contact with the transforming marvels of music but also with the miserabilities of practical problems, psychological tugs-of-war both internal and external and the communicative give-and-take with their audiences. 

            Three orchestras with different characteristics were heard in our city during recent weeks: the Moscow Symphony under Jorge Uliarte at the Coliseo, the Buenos Aires Philharmonic conducted by Jorge Bertazza at the Colón, and the National Symphony led by its Principal Conductor Pedro Calderón at the Auditorio de Belgrano. I will start with the Muscovites.

            Moscow has almost always been a city with plentiful professional orchestras, at least half a dozen and sometimes more. They were strongly impacted by the implosion of the USSR; some survived, others went under and still others were born, to a new world where state funds had dwindled precipitously; but gradually private sponsors appeared and state support augmented.

            The Moscow Symphony was founded in 1989 and is, according to its "biography" included in the hand programme, "the first Russian independent orchestra developed exclusively with private resources".   Their main sponsor isn´t a Russian concern but Nestle (!). The MS has made more than a hundred recordings and has often been abroad.

            Their visit to BA is the result of the vast organizational and persuasive powers of Argentine conductor Jorge Uliarte, founder of the astonishing Ushuaia Festival, and their concerts (two with different programmes) were an anticipation of their six evenings in Ushuaia, where they played among other things the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies. The MS is an accomplished outfit, as shown in their second night, an all-Russian combination of standards: the Overture to Glinka´s "Ruslan and Ludmilla", the Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto with Vitaly Pisarenko and Tchaikovsky´s Fourth.

            I feel that Uliarte (who also brought here the Berlin Symphony in recent years) is a well-grounded, correct maestro, lacking the vital spark that separates the average from the upper level.  The MS is very Russian in its sound, rather brash and with a touch of stridency in trumpets and trombones, but it also has communicative, well-tuned strings. The very clipped phrasing of Uliarte and some slow tempi robbed the Fourth of some dramatic values.

            I was well impressed by the young Pisarenko (no biography in the programme), who did Rachmaninov with very adequate command and good taste, although some bits could have sounded more exciting; the rather disheveled accompanying didn´t help him much.  The encore was the First Act Waltz from Tchaikovsky´s "Swan Lake" and it was a very pleasant ending. Their other concert was comprised of three orchestral  pieces: the Polovtsian Dances from Borodin´s "Prince Igor", Liszt´s "The Preludes" and Tchaikovsky´s lovely and seldom played First Symphony ("Winter Dreams").

            The vicissitudes of the two Colón orchestras are well-known to Herald readers. As I said in my latest article, althought the conflict persists they are now rehearsing. However, the first session of the B.A.Philharmonic, dubbed as "Aperture Concert", was utterly changed compared with the original planning: Arturo Diemecke, its Principal Conductor, didn´t come, and the Assistant Conductor, Carlos Bertazza, was in charge. Moreover, the very interesting programme was wholly scrapped: Mahler´s Sixth Symphony ("Tragic") and Michael Torke´s "Rapture" with Ángel Frette as percussion soloist. And it was replaced by a hackneyed and shortish late-Nineteenth Century French programme: three pieces from Bizet´s "L´Arlésienne", the Overture to Offenbach´s "Orphée aux Enfers" (as concocted by Carl Binder; it includes the famous Can-Can), and the Franck Symphony (included in last year´s subscription series).

            The only enticing fact was that finally the Phil was playing, but as time went on, I began to feel rather happy, for personable young Bertazza, certainly anxious to please the players and the audience, proved to have the preparation and the conviction to give us a very well-wrought interpretation of the dense, powerful Franck symphony, as well as the brio for Bizet´s "Farandole" (in the Prelude there were misadjustments in tricky places). It was a nice night, after all. Who knows what will happen next, however.

            After a pre-season concert at the Bolsa de Comercio, the National Symphony (Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional) started in earnest at their recovered (in 2010) home, the Auditorio de Belgrano, with its fine acoustics. Always with Calderón at the helm (still reasonably fit in his late seventies), the programming for the year has had minimal publicity, and already there have been changes in the first three concerts, one of them as the result of an odious practice which I ingenuously thought had been abolished: the accumulation of debt with the main provider of scores, Melos (exRicordi). Concerts are still free, simply because they have no structure to build a subscription series.

            But the orchestra remains good, sometimes very good. After the rather too prolix Second Overture (1892) by Alberto Williams, there was a beautiful performance of Schumann´s Piano Concerto by the sensitive Agustina Herrera, notwithstanding a minor accident in the treacherous last movement. And the concert ended with a Calderón specialty, Mahler´s First Symphony, masterfully built and detailed by the conductor. Apart from some horn fluffs and the lack of true "pianissimi", it was a powerful performance in this Mahler year (centenary of his death).

The Colón: light at the end of the tunnel

            My last report on the Colón situation was published three weeks ago and it was called "Is the Colón´s sad decline deliberate?". Since then, though matters aren´t solved and there are major points to be cleared up, there have been some advances that allow me to mention in the title of this article that there´s light at the end of the tunnel. This has come about among gross contradictions between what the City Government´s "actors" have expressed, Mauricio Macri on TV calling "vandals" some employees and attacking judges that emitted unfavorable sentences, Colón Director Pedro Pablo García Caffi keeping adamantly to his confrontation line; but Minister of Culture Hernán Lombardi made some conciliatory statements, and Secretary of Human Resources Andrés Ibarra agreed to talk with Roberto Arrechea (labor union ATE´s  Buenos Aires Secretary General) with the condition that rehearsals would be resumed; and they were.

            As we go to press this much is confirmed: the Buenos Aires Philharmonic starts its season next Thursday and the ballet will offer next week a triple bill accompanied by the Colón Orchestra and two pianists. True, the Phil´s concert is a mere stopgap conducted by the Orchestra´s assistant conductor, Carlos Bertazza, replacing the originally announced Principal Conductor Arturo Diemecke, and with an utterly changed programme from an innovative and difficult combination of Mahler´s Sixth Symphony and a premiere by  Michael Torke ("Rapture", with percussionist Ángel Frette) to a run-of-the-mill French  late-Nineteenth Century mixture.  But at least they are playing. And the ballet won´t have recorded tracks as accompaniment.

            Previous to all that, however, the Government emitted still more ominous signs, perhaps as a strategy to demoralize the orchestras and force them to accept rehearsals. And the City´s functionaries again showed a disconcerting behavior. In February (this wasn´t publicly known at the time) they  called a competition to cover vacant posts in the orchestras, a good thing in normal times but absurd in the middle of a conflict; at the very end of March they called the competition off. Also, they threatened to apply 50% discounts on the salaries of dissidents.

            Coupled with this, also at the end of March they proceeded to advise 4l players that had been under contract last year both at the Phil and at the Colón Orchestra that their contracts wouldn´t be renovated, because the orchestras weren´t playing.  However, after the first talk between Ibarra and Arrechea it transpired that they would be re-hired.

            The Attorney General recommended the exoneration of the eight employees delegates of the labor union ATE that are the target of the $ 55 million trial, now pending appeal. This certainly makes negotiations more difficult, for Arrechea represents the opinion of the Colón Assembly, and they demand the following points: a) the suspension of any sanctions; b) the renovation of contracts; c) a salary raise of 40% compared to December; d) elimination of the discounts on salaries; e) reimbursement of salary days suspended because of strikes.  

            Some repercussions are worth mentioning: a) Sadem (Argentine Music Syndicate) considers García Caffi "persona no grata". b) The orchestras played the National Anthem at Vélez Sarsfield in the interval of a soccer game to dramatize their plight. c) The Phil sent a letter to García Caffi complaining that a security guard had been hostile and menacing to a member of the orchestra, and considering that they now feel watched as if they were delinquents. They write of "patovicas" and "police state" behavior. d) Various provincial orchestras have expressed their solidarity with the Colón orchestras. e) A Télam agency dispatch states that Lombardi wants García Caffi´s resignation. And also says that Ibarra promised "not to advance with sanctions"; but Ibarra can do nothing about the judicial and adminstrative instances against "the eight" or "the twenty-five" (for lesser sanctions have been asked against a larger group that includes those eight).

            Tomorrow a new encounter between Arrechea and Ibarra will include the above points; it remains to be seen if they are resolved. The results of the talks will be analyzed in a new assembly. The main problem is Macri´s lapidary statements; Ibarra or Lombardi may be amenable to a settlement, García Caffi may be replaced or overruled, but if their chief puts his thumb down, the Colón will remain in trouble. And even if the Executive seems in the last instance conciliatory, there are still judicial and administrative rounds to be dealt with, and their timing may be too slow for comfort.

A brilliant “Grand Macabre” and a break-dance “Carmen”

            György Ligeti´s "Le Grand Macabre" is weird in itself, but the conditions of its local premiere have been weirder. As a result of the unsolved conflict between the Colón orchestras and the authorities, there was no orchestra, an essential matter for a composer whose sense of color was enormous. Of course it was a foregone conclusion, for the City Government has shown no signs of a favorable disposition to arrive at a solution. But the Colón´s Director Pedro Pablo García Caffi went full speed ahead and sent the airplane tickets to the technical staff of La Fura del Baus, the numerous foreign singers and the conductor. Thus the forced compromise of presenting it in an arrangement based on two pianos and percussion and the decision to offer four free performances called "rehearsals with public"; pride of place for the tickets went to the opera subscribers of 2010.

            This first opera of the season may well be the last. Anyway, "rehearsal" was an improper name, for the performances were fully adjusted and professional. Of course, the famous avantgarde Catalan company has done the piece elsewhere with great success, and all the singers have interpreted their parts before. The only "new" factor was that the accompaniment was different; however, I found it didn´t come out so badly in comparison with the Salonen-conducted CDs, for in fact there were six players producing a vaster sound than originally announced: two pianos and percussion, but also celesta, organ and especially synthesizer, which can imitate brass sounds.  Nowhere in the programme was a basic fact cleared up: was this version concocted by Ligeti? And if not, by whom? Conductor Baldur Brönnimann?

            It is very seldom that I can write this statement: the production was better than the opera. But it so happens that the extravagance of the libretto found its match in a display of visual imagination never seen before at the Colón. You can dislike some ideas of La Fura, but the technical accomplishment is astonishing: a gigantic doll in prone position opens its orifices or whole parts of its anatomy, changing color and expression with hyperrealist  verisimilitude. In fact, it is so fascinating that it makes less visible the dramatic grossness of the libretto concocted by Ligeti and Michael Meschke on the original 1934 play by the Belgian surrealist Michel de Ghelderode. It is always dangerous to treat profound subjects as a grotesque, and the end of the world announced by Nekrotzar, an "angel of Death", has to be much scarier than in the pat and unwitty scenes concerning sadomasochism or politics.  I find the final  "happy end" scenes particularly disappointing. A change to cataclysm might have made the piece more relevant, although it wouldn´t save its irremediable weakness. Only the charming duets of lovers are a relief in this silly world.

            Of course, Ligeti could be a great composer, but I find him here only intermittently so: in those duets, so fluent and iridiscent; in some interludes that attain terrible repercussions on the listener´s psyche; in the richness of the offstage choirs. But by and large, I don´t accept "Le Grand Macabre" as a great opera.The original version was premiered in 1978; the revision, in 1997.  

            La Fura´s people must be mentioned: the co-producers Alex Ollé and Valentina Carrasco (she is Argentinian); the marvelous design of the doll by Alfons Flores; the costumes by Lluc Castells, sometimes too grotesque; the marvelous lighting by Peter Van Praet; and the strong video images of Frank Aleu, redolent both of concentration camps and the vivid  world of Pieter Brueghel (well, supposedly everything happens in "Brueghelland").

            The musical side went very well, the six players responding  professionally to Brönnimann´s conducting, and the singers versatile and in full accord with the staging. Splendidly ringing tenor Chris Merritt, still in full form; Roderick Earle as the baritone Nekrotzar, giving his best to a nondescript character; Brian Asawa in full sweet voice as the countertenor Prince Go-Go; and the stratospheric soprano Susana Andersson dealing handsomely with the awesome fireworks of the Chief of the Secret Police. Nice work from soprano Ilse Eerens and mezzo Frances Bourne as Amanda/Amando, and from Gustavo De Gennaro (The White Minister) and Javier Galán (The Black Minister). The ungrateful parts of Astradamors and Mescalina were well taken by Wilbur Pauley and Ning Liang.

            It was a great success with the very mixed public of subscribers, "Fureros" and general audience attracted by being able to watch a Colón show for free.

            I will be brief concerning "Carmen", which opened Buenos Aires Lírica´s season at the Avenida. They interestingly chose the rarely done original version as an "opéra-comique": with spoken dialogue  instead of the recitatives added by Ernest Guiraud. The artists managed to sing in tolerable French.

            I liked the conducting of Alejo Pérez, always alert and well-contrasted, although I found the "Danse bohème" too slow. The choirs were less polished than their usual standard under Juan Casasbellas, but acceptable, whilst the Teatro Argentino´s Children Choir under Mónica Dagorret was spontaneous and in tune. The find was Brazilian tenor Martin Muehle (debut), a Don Jose of firm timbre and convincing projection. Mezzo Adriana Mastrángelo, whom I usually like a lot, seemed less involved as Carmen, though she sang well. Oriana Favaro was a refined and sensitive Micaela. Leonardo Estévez was unconvincing as Escamillo, with a disagreeable top. Of the rest I would only single out the clearly sung Zúñiga of Walter Schwarz.

            Unfortunately, I found Marcelo Lombardero and his team at their worst in a "Carmen" that seemed out of time and place: break-dance in something like Villa Soldati isn´t my idea of "Carmen"; or innkeeper and smugglers openly gay; or a badly conceived stage picture for Act I, with a graffiti-laden wall officiating as a police quarter with an absurd incident at the very beginning, and then the chorus "Sur la place" went for nothing, for obviously the officers couldn´t see the alluded square.  The Third Act was terrible, with a crummy urban depot substituting for the required mountain pass. And the projections in the Fourth just a way to spend less in actors. Diego Siliano did the stage designs, Luciana Gutman the costumes, Horacio Efron the lighting. A couple of well-observed dramatic touches by Lombardero didn´t save the night.

A watery “Onegin” starts the Argentino´s season

             Decidedly, the world of opera in Argentina is falling prey to the dominating trend of recent decades in Europe: the utter tergiversation of the true contents of the chosen work, "justified" by a desire to be original and "creative". As the great producers of yore demonstrated –people like Wieland Wagner, Rennert, Pöttgen, Visconti, the early Zeffirelli, Colin Graham- it is possible to be innovative and fresh without attacking the essentials.

            La Plata´s Teatro Argentino has begun a very ambitious season with the local premiere of Tchaikovsky´s "Eugen Onegin", only the second Russian opera the city has seen (the first, last year´s "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" by Shostakovich). An excellent idea, no doubt, but thoroughly ruined by Polish producer Michal Znaniecki (also costume designer). Other members of the production team: Swiss stage designer Luigi Scoglio, Polish lighting designer Bogumil Palewicz and Argentine choreographer Diana Theocharidis. Following another trend than is being carried too far, it was a co-production with the Polish Cracow and Poznan Wielki Operas and the Bilbao Opera (Abao Olbe).

            I have been unhappy in recent years about the productions of "Onegin" I saw in Vienna and Paris, and I have shared my views with Herald readers. The La Plata one I would rank less negative than Vienna´s but worse than the Paris Bastille´s. Superficially some of it is aesthetically beautiful, but basic conceptual errors promptly pile up. As you may remember, we are in the ultra-Romantic Russian world of Pushkin as faithfully translated into immensely sensitive music by Tchaikovsky. The writer created "Onegin" as a  novel written in verse between 1823 and 1831. We are in the ambience of rural aristocracy, made of sentimental nuances. In this version incongruity soon takes over, and grossness replaces subtlety.

            Act I, First Tableau: bare birch trunks (the quintessential Russian tree) dominate  and are surrounded by three big mirrors and other reflecting surfaces; clever lighting dapples the stage (it looks like the Venetian producer Beni Montresor´s effects). Nice to see, but it´s a wood, not a garden as required. However, the real problems start with the Second Tableau, Tatyana´s room, where her bed is surrounded by the birch trees and  she writes in her bed  in the time of inkwells…But disaster strikes in the Third Tableau, when Onegin visits Tatyana in her bed, and not in the garden: if the content were a seduction, it might work, but it´s a refusal! And who gave him access in those severe times?

            Act II, First Tableau: The angular, contemporary choreography is completely alien to Tchaikovsky´s dances; the billiard table, uncalled-for and a silly barrier; the handling of the part of Monsieur Triquet, tremendously tasteless (a gallant old fop of the Ancien Régime converted into a very public libidinous dirty old man pawing Tatyana, and no one reacts). All conspires against  creating the right climate of Madame Larina´s salon. Second Tableau: after a Lensky aria in front of a neuter drop, we see the habitual snowy landscape; an interesting and valid point: Lensky doesn´t even aim at Onegin, he wants to die.

            Act III, First Tableau: the water in this article´s title comes from the ridiculous metaphor: Onegin´s icy demeanor melts down due to his new-found love for Tatyana, so the great salon in Prince Gremin´s St. Petersburg Palace has a palm of water and everyone splashes around. Furthermore, Gremin is made a cripple in a wheelchair, undermining the verisimilitude of his marriage to Tatyana. The Polonaise is again angular and charmless; it is danced behind a veil giving a phantasmagoric feeling which in a sense is adequate for the troubled feelings of the protagonist. Final scene: Tatyana strips down to a petticoat and receives thus the desperate Onegin, both still splashing.

            The costumes were quite uneven, some of them attractive and others looking coarse and Las Vegas-ish. The final impression was that of a failed "Onegin" stagewise, despite occasional felicities. As an exercise in nostalgia, I remembered the beautiful production by Oscar Figueroa and Hugo De Ana presented at the Colón in  1977 and that of the Moscow Bolshoi I saw in 1967.

            The musical side was rather good. Both principal singers are Polish and made their local debut. Baritone Marcin Bronikowski looks right for the part and has a strong, steady voice which he uses well, though without the plangency needed for the last act. Magdalena Nowacka looks attractive and has a sweet lyric timbre; she sings with musicality but lacks the intensity for the crucial Letter Scene. Our tenor Darío Schmunck was an involved and tender Lensky, particularly good in his aria, though with his habitual shortness of volume. Mezzo Mónica Sardi has the beauty of face and figure for the frivolous Olga, and she sang clearly, more assertively than I have heard her in other parts. There are two older women among the characters, Madame Larina and Filipyeva the nanny; they were well taken by Susanna Moncayo and Elsabeth Canis, the former very sonorous and the latter more restrained. Ariel Cazes did a correct Gremin, with little expansion however. I suppose Carlos Bengolea isn´t to blame for the grotesque characterisation of Triquet; the current condition of his voice is right for the part. Oreste Chlopecki and Sergio Spina completed the cast adequately.

            Stefan Lano conducted with his great professionalism, although Tchaikovsky´s world isn´t particularly congenial to him; the orchestra and chorus (Miguel Martínez) responded well.

           

For Buenos Aires Herald

¿Es deliberada la triste declinación del Colón?

            Hace algunas semanas escribí un informe sobre la asombrosa situación del Colón.

Noticias recientes son todavía peores, según lo anunciado en conferencia de prensa: no habrá abonos de ópera, de la Filarmónica ni de la Orquesta estable. Éste es el resultado de las teóricamente entabladas pero en la práctica paralizadas paritarias, en las que cada lado se mantiene rígidamente en sus opiniones.

            Me refiero a mi anterior artículo para una puesta al día. Sanciones: como la apelación con respecto a la sentencia del juez Otheguy aún no está resuelta, falta una decisión judicial definitiva. García Caffi meramente dijo que la cuestión está en manos judiciales por un lado y en las paritarias por otro. Expresa públicamente optimismo de que habrá solución, pero sus acciones dicen lo contrario: obviamente la eliminación de los abonos no es un signo positivo. Y el Jefe de Gobierno der París lanzó palabras terribles confirmando que cualquier colución está lejana.

            Dos cuestiones avanzaron en el sentido correcto: finalmente la Ciudad tiene presupuesto, y la oposición forzó al PRO a aceptar un fuerte aumento salarial para todos los empleados del Gobierno. Según información publicada en Infobae.com, comparado con Diciembre equivale a una suba de 38% (muy cercana al supuestamente absurdo 40% demandado por ATE); dan dos casos: un miembro de la Filarmónica cobró $ 6483 y ahora cobrará $ 8444, y un escenotécnico , $ 7285 y ahora 9287. ¿Es la suba puramente "blanca" (remunerativa)?

            No he visto publicado el presupuesto del Colón aceptado por la Legislatura, pero en este momento su relevancia es dudosa ya que ni siquiera se sabe si se va a dar la segunda ópera de la temporada, "La flauta mágica".

            Dí sólo los lineamientos de la temporada en mi anterior artículo. Ahora, según el anuncio de García Caffi, tres cosas son completamente inciertas: ópera, Filarmónica, Estable. Habrá ballet con música grabada. Otros proyectos continuarán según lo programado: Abono del Bicentenario, Intérpretes argentinos y Centro de Experimentación. E instituciones como el Mozarteum Argentino, Festivales musicales y Nuova Harmonia podrán usar el Colón según anunciado en sus respectivos planes. De modo que el Colón no estará cerrado pero sí drásticamente disminuido y sujeto a innumerables problemas.

            Dos renuncias están diciendo claramente que internamente el Colón está que arde: Reinaldo Censabella "por razones personales" a la Dirección Musical; y Susana Frangi a la Dirección de Estudios (esto no fue oficialmente anunciado).

            Se decidió dar "Le Grand Macabre" de Ligeti (estreno sudamericano) en una reducción para dos pianos y percusión, ya que no se pudo armar una orquesta sustituta para tocar la muy difícil partitura. En la conferencia varios miembros de La Fura del Baus defendieron la decisión, pero colegas y yo mismo creemos que será una ejecución fatalmente fallada, ya que el color orquestal es la esencia de esta obra, aunque haya curiosidad por conocer la producción de la afamada compañía catalana vanguardista. Las cuatro funciones serán consideradas ensayos con público, serán gratis y los abonados tendrán precedencia. Hubo estricto y amplio control de seguridad y no se permitió la presencia de miembros de ATE; SUTECBA sí, porque están colaborando.

            El otro dilema concierne a Plácido Domingo y sus conciertos. (Este párrafo lo omito ya que se sabe qué pasó después).

            En la conferencia, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta dio su pleno aval a García Caffi. Desde París Macri lanzó estas lapidarias palabras: "Si es necesario, no habrá temporada este año, pero si continuamos en este camino aseguraremos cien excelentes temporadas a partir de 2012. No cederemos ante quienes quieren un Colón cerrado… No puede haber revolución cultural si no se respeta la ley. Los que violan la ley no tendrán ningún lugar. El Dr. Scheibler hizo mucho mal. Nos forzó a reincorporar empleados transferidos… No toleraremos mafias en el Colón".

            Algunas conclusiones: a) Va mucho más allá que García Caffi, que dijo que la temporada no estaba cancelada pero que las condiciones no permitían vender un abono. b) El Juez Scheibler es atacado porque él, con pensamiento independiente, no admitió la monstruos transferencia de 400 personas, obviamente una orden directa de Macri a García Caffi. c) ATE no quiere un teatro cerrado; además, sólo unos pocos miembros de ambas orquestas son miembros de ATE y el conflicto es con el total de las orquestas, llamados mafiosos por Macri. Lo que quieren es la eliminación de las sanciones. Si la apelación fracasa, ¿qué hará Macri? ¿Considerar nociva a la corte de apelación? El verdadero centro del asunto está en los límites del derecho de huelga. d) Macri viola la ley: nombró como Directores a personas que no cumplen los requisitos de la Ley de Autarquía, que exige que tengan "trayectoria cultural reconocida". Y constantemente trata de no cumplir sentencias judiciales.  

            SUTECBA sacó un  comunicado expresando que representan a 800 empleados del Colón, lo cual es seguramente falso; sólo tienen 18% del personal. Quieren un teatro abierto pero no apoyan los métodos de ATE.

            El teatro está profundamente dividido entre SUTECBA, ATE y los independientes; Y muchos empleados no están de acuerdo con las orquestas en conflicto; otras orquestas, como la Sinfónica Nacional y la del SODRE de Montevideo, han en cambio declarado su solidaridad.  Dicen las orquestas: "Queremos trabajar, pero con respeto y dignidad. Queremos un Colón de producción integrada, trabajando a pleno para el beneficio de los ciudadanos".

            ¿Qué pasará con la próxima ópera, "La flauta mágica"? ¿Nuevamente ensayos gratis con público? ¿La Estable reemplazada por otra orquesta? Si usted fuera García Caffi, ¿enviaría los pasajes a los artistas contratados? ¿Daría luz verde a la realización de ensayos de escena y preparación de escenografías y trajes? ¿O lo cancelaría totalmente?  Hay mucho para pensar en todo esto.

            ¿Es deliberada la declinación del Colón? Me temo que sí.

For Buenos Aires Herald

Plácido at 70, still marvelous

             Plácido Domingo is in many senses a marvel. At 70 he accumulates the fruits of five decades of relentless work: one of the longest careers in history, the absolute record of twenty season-opening nights at New York´s Met, an immense quantity of LPs, CDs and DVDs, 134 rôles, and the amazing conservation of timbre and stamina that allows him to continue with no end in sight. Of course, age takes its toll even for him, and he has abandoned some high-lying tenor parts, but in recent years he has controversially added baritone characters. Additionally he has been conducting for 25 years, and leading opera houses since 15 in Washington and Los Angeles. He sings in Italian, Spanish, French, German, Russian and English.

            He has great love for Buenos Aires, where he made his debut in 1972, and apart from concerts he has sung here in complete operas in several seasons: 1979, 1981, 1982, 1997 and 1998.  He has always spoken with great admiration about the Colón as an integrated institution of high quality, and he wanted to do a special thing for the celebration of his seventieth year: in the same day, an operatic concert at the Colón and a more popular one in the open air. But somehow the right information didn´t come to him: the conflict of the two Colón orchestras with the City Government. After postponed press conferences and direct mediation by Domingo, a compromise solution was arrived at: only one concert but with an extensive programme in front of the Obelisk, with an orchestra made up of musicians from the Colón Orchestra ("Estable"), the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, the National Symphony and La Plata´s Argentino.

            One of the largest crowds ever assembled (estimated at about 120.000) gave its enthusiastic support. Domingo´s frequent partners in  international concerts, Argentine soprano Virginia Tola, and American conductor Eugene Kohn, were there as well.  And the whole thing went with a bang in a beautiful night (the concert had been postponed from Wednesday to Thursday due to bad weather, but paradoxically that gave them some valuable rehearsal time, otherwise extremely tight).

                                                           THE CONCERT

            Starting at 8,15 p.m., it lasted until 11 p.m., with an interval of 15 minutes. The amplified sound was acceptably good for open air conditions, and it certainly helped that there was little wind. The free concert had a VIP section of invitations and the general public sprawled over several blocks of 9 de Julio.  The event was organized by the Fundación Beethoven led by the admired pianist Pía Sebastiani and it had the sponsorship of the City Government and several enterprises.  Apart from minor mishaps (a small interruption of the transmission affected the big screens that mirrored the concert for those that were far away, and during a couple of  minutes there was an insistent sound of multiple sirens) the concert went smoothly.

            The First Part started with Choirs of Gypsies and Matadors from Verdi´s "La Traviata" with the Colón Choir prepared by Peter Burian. There were 73 choristers and 76 players. The first choice of Plácido Domingo (PD) was quite interesting, the splendid "Ô Souverain" from Massenet´s "Le Cid", never done at the Colón, where PD´s stirring tones showed unequivocally that the voice was still there, practically untouched, and so was his imposing dramatic presence. Virginia Tola (VT) chose the lovely "Depuis le jour" from Charpentier´s "Louise", deplorably absent from our city since 1945; she sang well but not with the ideal plangency and softness. Finally we heard PD in Wagner, a composer he has often sung elsewhere with great distinction, but not here: it was the melodic "Winterstürme" sung by Siegmund in "Die Walküre", and he did it beautifully, even if his diction is open to misgivings.

            Some  "verismo" with French plots followed: VT in good form in "Io son l´umile ancella" from Cilea´s "Adriana Lecouvreur", and PD stunning as Gérard in "Nemico della patria" from Giordano´s "Andrea Chenier": the first time he sings here as a baritone. "La vergine degli angeli" from Verdi´s "La forza del destino" didn´t quite jell: VT wasn´t ethereal enough and the Choir sounded too receded.

            There was talk last year that Verdi´s "Simone Boccanegra" would be offered in the Colón´s season with PD in the title part, but as he clarified in a press conference, the available dates didn´t coincide; the Colón plans to offer it this year but with Roberto Frontali. However, PD manifested his wish to sing it here in 2012; if that is so, perhaps they should change "Simone" this year,  "Un Ballo in Maschera" in its place would be adequate. But PD sang the wonderful duet of Simone with his daughter (VD) in this concert and they both did some very attractive singing and interpreting. To put in a nutshell the polemics about PD as baritone, they  are reduced to one point: he has all the notes but his timbre remains that of a "spinto" (robust and colorful) tenor. His powers of dramatic characterisation are all there.

            There followed another "first" , when PD made his debut here as a conductor in the Overture from Verdi´s "La forza del destino": hardly as polished as other versions heard here, it gave a partial account of his abilities in that field (who knows how much rehearsal he had).

            The Second Part started with the Act 2 duet of Verdi´s "Rigoletto", minus the chorus (why?) and Monterone´s appearance. I wasn´t quite convinced, especially in the "Vendetta" conclusion; some smudged phrasing from PD, instances of hard voice from VT; PD´s performance in DVD of the complete opera is much better. Things went quite well in the final operatic selection: the Triumphal March from Verdi´s "Aida" (minus the dances) had a very resolute PD as conductor, this time getting much better performances from the orchestra, and with an enthusiastic choral intervention.

            I´ll be briefer about the remaining blocks. Five zarzuela fragments were incongruously combined with "I could have danced all night" from Loewe´s "My fair lady", well sung by VT in good English. VT was excellent in the charming "Canción de Paloma"  from Barbieri´s "El barberillo de Lavapiés", the chorus rather weak in the "Coro de románticos" from Vives´ "Doña Francisquita", PD  a bit tired in a piece from Moreno Torroba´s "Maravilla" but fully rallying for two Sorozábal pieces, especially a PD specialty, "No puede ser!" from "La tabernera del puerto".

            The final blocks were songs and tangos in overwrought orchestrations. I could have done without a Spanish rendition of a duet from Lehár´s "Die lustige Witwe" and a poor song by César De La Luz, but I liked Grever´s "Júrame" (PD) and Lecuona´s "Bésame" (PD). Lara´s "Granada" could have been more brilliant (PD). As to the tangos, only "El día que me quieras" (duet) was played by the orchestra; the others (well-chosen) were idiomatically accompanied by four proficient bandoneon players: "El día que me quieras" (duet), "Volver (PD), "A media luz" (VT) and "Mi Buenos Aires querido" (duet). If your idea of the tango is circumscribed to Goyeneche, Merello or Rivero, you won´t like PD or VT; but if you accept that the "tango-canción" is a subgenre that goes well with the same voices that can sing "Granada", you will. I did, and the public certainly responded.

            Throughout Eugene Kohn conducting was experienced and supportive, and chorus and orchestra responded with visible pleasure; no great refinements can be expected with little rehearsal and in the open air, but it worked. All´s well that ends well, and it was so as far as this concert goes. Now the conflict goes on, fueled by intemperate declarations by Mauricio Macri and Pedro Pablo García Caffi. It remains to be told that prior to the Obelisk concert, PD sang a miniconcert for the Colón employees in the stage, and reportedly kissed the floor. He is a great artist but also a communicative human being with a great rapport with the Colón´s singers, players and technicians. May he come back under better auspices and with less tensions.

For Buenos Aires Herald

The Big Three present their seasons

            The Big Three of concert-giving are of course the Mozarteum Argentino, Nuova Harmonia and Festivales Musicales de Buenos Aires. Two of them bet heavily on the pull of the Colón over sponsors and subscribers and find themselves in the unpleasant possibility that a prolonged impasse in the conflict between the workers and the Government might affect the disponibility of the Theatre.  There are variants: the Coliseo for the Mozarteum (whose programming is wholly at the Colón) and naturally for Nuova Harmonia, whose home it is (they have only one concert at our great symbol of classical music). Or the Auditorio de Belgrano for Festivales, who plan about half of their season at the great hall. Let´s hope for the best and imagine that somehow the conundrum will be resolved.

            This year the Mozarteum and Nuova Harmonia present seasons of equal quality. On June 26 and 27 the Mozarteum will boast a surefire number: the Orquesta  Simón Bolívar de Venezuela under Gustavo Dudamel in Mahler´s Seventh Symphony and a mixed bag: Ravel, Evencio Castellanos (Venezuelan), Carlos Chávez (Mexican) and Stravinsky (the Mozarteum as usual offers two subscriber series). Their season starts on May 2 and 3 with the famous Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer, with two programmes, featuring respectively József Lendvay in Paganini´s Violin Concerto Nº 1 and pianist Dejan Lazcic in Weber´s "Konzerstück", with two standard symphonies (Tchaikovsky´s Fifth and Schumann´s Third), plus some Dvorák and Bartók.

            The wonderful Emerson Quartet will show their outstanding level in Mendelssohn, Bartók and Beethoven (May 23 and 24). The Munich Chamber Orchestra under Alexander Liebreich will offer a stimulating combination of works, with the talented soprano Christiane Oelze giving us Schönberg´s Quartet Nº 2 (which has an added soprano part) and Pergolesi´s cantata "Orfeo" (probably a premiere), along with a C.P.E.Bach symphony and Shostakovich´s Chamber Symphony op.110ª (an orchestration of his Eighth Quartet). June 13 and 14. After the Venezuelans, the Britten Sinfonia with Pekka Kuusisto (violin and conductor) and tenor Allan Clayton  will show their versatility in three Britishers (Purcell, Tippett and Britten´s "Les Illuminations") , and –minus the tenor- in two USA minimalists, Steve Reich and John Adams (his "Shaker loops"). August 8 and 10.

            The two programmes of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen both present Christian Tetzlaff (also conductor) in Mendelssohn´s Violin Concerto op.64, but the other scores are different: on August 29, Haydn´s Symphony Nº 80 and Mozart´s towering "Jupiter" Symphony, plus Schönberg´s "Transfigured Night"; on August 30, the scheme of Haydn (Nº 7, "Midday") and Mozart (Nº 40) is repeated, but adding Mozart´s rarely heard Violin Fantasia op. 131. Our admirable pianist Ingrid Fliter comes back after several years, playing Beethoven and Chopin (September 5 and 6). Return visit of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, this time under Domingo Hindoyan, featuring pianist Jonathan Gilad in Grieg and Gershwin; along with repertoire pieces, two probable premieres: "Harmonies du soir" by Ysaÿe and Jean-Luc Fafchamps´"Lettre soufie: L (ÂM)". October 24 and 25. Thus ends a season that this time avoids ballet (I personally agree).

            We still don´t have the programmes, but Nuova Harmonia does announce artists and dates, all at the Coliseo except one. The Quartet of Milan´s La Scala will collaborate with pianist Paolo Restani on April 26. Then, a welcome back to the Bamberg Symphony under Jonathan Nott with pianist Till Fellner (May 9). Later, the 20-member Orchester die Kölner Akademie under Michael Alexander Willens (June 2). One of the outstanding presentations of the year will surely be the Rotterdam Philharmonic under an important conductor, Leonard Slatkin, on the first of July (debut of both orchestra and conductor). Pianist Michele Campanella will play Liszt on July 14. High quality is guaranteed with the Berlin Philharmonic Octet (August 18). A hearty welcome back to that splendid Baroque ensemble, Europa Galante under Fabio Biondi (September 14). Those old friends, violinist Shlomo Mintz and pianist Peter Jirikovsky, are here again on September 21. The Trio Modigliani makes its debut on October 18. And the season comes to an end at the Colón on October 29 with the St Petersburg Symphony under Vladimir Lande with pianist Maxim Mogilevsky.

            Festivales Musicales calls its season "Art and Virtuosism". Pianist Roger Muraro will premiere the Liszt transcription of the "Symphonie Fantastique" by Berlioz (May 11, Colón). The Orquesta de Cámara de Chile conducted by Juan Pablo Izquierdo offers well-trodden Beethoven (Leonore Nº 3, Third Symphony) and the "Emperor Concerto" with pianist Horacio Lavandera (June 8, Colón). Quite unknown, instead, are the pieces that will be played by the talented Verdehr Trio at the Auditorio de Belgrano, by Werner, Madsen, Rorem, Sierra, Dvorak and Sheng (June 21).

            The Lyon-based Café Zimmermann gives us French Baroque (several premieres) with soprano Claire Brua; the players are French and Argentine. June 27, Avenida.  The Estudio Coral de Buenos Aires under Carlos López Puccio will celebrate its 30th anniversary on July 11 (Colón). Then follows a collaboration with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic repeating a programme that will be included in the orchestra´s subscription series, with violinist Xavier Inchausti in Paganini and Mahler´s Fourth. Colón, July 20. Certainly it will be quite an occasion to hear Víctor Torres and Fernando Pérez in Schubert´s mighty cycle "Die Winterreise" (Avenida, August 8). A 9-member group called Interpreti Veneziani will present that apparently inevitable Vivaldi cycle "The Four Seasons". Auditorio de Belgrano, October 5. It will be interesting to get to know a brilliant pianist, Valentina Lisitsa, who will tackle nothing less than Chopin´s Etudes and Liszt´s "Totentanz" (Colón, October 19).

            And finally, Handel´s fascinating oratorio "Samson" (Colón, October 31), conducted by Mario Videla, with the Camerata Bariloche and the Orfeón de Buenos Aires (Néstor Andrenacci and Pablo Piccinni).

Some musings on French opera

         Late in 2004 I wrote for the Herald reviews of two operas I had seen in Paris: "Debussy´s "Pelléas et Mélisande" at La Bastille and Rossini´s "L´Italiana in Algeri" at the Palais Garnier. In late September last year I was back in Paris and I saw Tchaikovsky´s "Eugen Onegin" at La Bastille.  Later in this article I will give my views on it, but my aim is ampler: to give a general conspectus of opera in France. In fact my trip was basically cultural tourism in the South of France: cathedrals, monasteries, museums and scenery. But I had hoped to catch some opera performances in provincial houses; alas, I had no luck: either the seasons hadn´t started yet, or their schedule didn´t coincide with mine. However, I did get to to see the opera houses from the outside.

         The Paris Opera is divided in two houses: the modern La Bastille built by the Uruguayan Carlos Ott is mainly dedicated to opera, whilst the old and splendid Garnier is the house of the Paris Ballet but it does offer opera occasionally.  Opera in Paris is also seen sometimes at the Châtelet (generally a musical comedy or operetta venue), or at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The Opéra-Comique, where decades ago I saw lovely performances, has fallen in bad times and is scarcely used at all ; I feel it should.     

         As is logical enough, the other big French cities have good opera theatres. Those considered to be the best are the modern Lyon Opera by the famous architect Jean Nouvel  and the Toulouse Capitole, integrated to the massive municipal seat of Government. As a building, maybe the most impressive is the old Bordeaux Grand Théâtre (1780). There is a very new Berlioz Opera at Montpellier within the Corum Center, and both Marseilles and Nice have nice houses. And if I may stretch a point (it´s not politically French) the Monaco Princedom has a wonderful Garnier Opera House. In the North, l´Opéra du Rhin is based in Strasbourg  and Lille also has a good  reputation.

         Many other cities offer opera : Dijon, Tours, Rouen, etc. And there are Summer Festivals of well-earned repute in the South: the open-air Chorégies d´Orange in the Roman Theatre, or the Aix-en-Provence festival, during many years a sort of French Mozartian Salzburg. All these houses adhere to the Italian season concept: a limited number of operas are prepared for the season and in principle will be substituted by another group next year.  

         The Paris National Opera is of course the most important. In 2010-11 they are presenting nineteen operas, including the final two of Wagner´s "Ring", the revival of Hindemith´s important "Mathis the Painter", the premiere of Mantovani´s "Akhmatova", Smetana´s "The Bartered Bride", Janácek´s "Kátia Kabanová", Haendel´s "Giulio Cesare", Zandonai´s "Francesca da Rimini" and the "lyric scenes" that comprise Tchaikovsky´s "Eugen Onegin". Most operas are offered  as many as eight or nine times, so the final number for the season is really big, about 170  performances.

         La Bastille´s acoustics are clear but rather dry. The theatre is big and the architecture very impressive. The sightlines are good, the technical equipment quite remarkable, and the whole huge machine functions smoothly. The occupancy rate is very high, with most performances sold out, and you will do well to reserve several months ahead.

         Tchaikovsky´s opera, based on Pushkin, is  Romantic, sincere and intensely Russian. There are gorgeous melodies, rich orchestrations and a mosaic-like structure. If sympathetically sung and staged, it is very rewarding.  I liked the total effect better than in the Vienna occasion I reviewed in late 2009, but I do have some reservations about the staging.  

         Curiously enough, I heard the same Tatyana as in Vienna, Olga Guryakova, and I found her in steadier, firmer voice; she acts the part well. French baritone Ludovic Tézier has a warm  timbre and he limned his character with talent: this blasé Onegin who provokes tragedy (killing his friend Lenski in a duel) and sermonizes the loving Tatyana becomes in the last act a  man desperately in love. Canadian tenor Joseph Kaiser sang Lenski with fine professionalism, but his voice is rather short on beauty; the poet´s voice should be softer and more plangent. Veteran Russian bass Gleb Nikolsky gave us a noble Prince Gremin, the mature husband of Tatyana. Two admirable French artists gave their full due to their parts: mezzo Nadine Denize after a long and splendid career still offers vocal charm and much point to her Mme. Larina (Tatyana´s mother) and Jean-Paul Fouchécourt did a fine cameo in Monsieur Triquet´s rococo song. Alisa Kolosova was convincing as the coquettish Olga (Tatyana´s sister) and Nona Javakhidze was appropriately folkish as Filipieva (Tatyana´s wetnurse). Fine voices in small parts: Ugo Rabec (Zaretski) and Yves Cochois (The Lieutenant). Young conductor Vasili Petrenko was enthusiastic but also rather hectic; the orchestra sounds really well, and the Chorus under Patrick Marie Aubert was satisfactory.

         Willy Decker´s production finds dramatic truth at many points, but I quite disagree with such things as Tatyana´s presence at the duel, or the fusion of that tableau with the following one which occurs years later. The wonderful Polonaise and Waltz were very poor in the hands of choregrapher Athol Farmer. The unit set imagined by Wolfgang Gussmann has some beauty but can´t adapt to the very different tableaux; his costumes were much better.

UN DUDOSO CONVENIO DEL COLÓN NO OFRECE GARANTÍAS

    Mi último artículo sobre el Teatro Colón fue publicado el 7 de Diciembre 2010 y tenía un título ominoso: "Empezó la guerra del Colón". Ahora el Director General Pedro Pablo García Caffi presentó un convenio del Gobierno con el sindicato SUTECBA como una feliz ocasión que asegurará las actividades del Colón durante 2011. No lo creo, y los siguientes párrafos explicarán porqué.  Pero antes de dar esas argumentaciones, creo útil mencionar alguna información nueva con respecto al citado artículo.

    a) Mencioné sanciones contra siete personas; ahora se han agregado muchas más, y en un caso particular, el de José Piazza, quien había obtenido una sentencia judicial anulando la sanción, ¡no sólo no se tuvo en cuenta esta sentencia sino que le agregaron otros 30 días de suspensión!.

    b) García Caffi en su momento había aceptado la nominación de Máximo Parpagnoli para la varias veces pospuesta elección de Director por parte de los empleados (de acuerdo a la Ley de Autarquía debe haber cinco directores, cuatro nombrados por el Jefe de Gobierno y uno elegido por los trabajadores). Pero SUTECBA, sabiendo muy bien que su candidato iba a perder y que Parpagnoli (de la ATE) iba a ganar, "convenció" a García Caffi que posponga la elección otros seis meses...

    c) Por supuesto, la temporada no fue anunciada en Diciembre;  García Caffi ahora dijo que la anunciaría "en muy poquitos días". Si lo hace, cometerá una grave irresponsabilidad, ya que hay un hecho básico: el presupuesto no fue aprobado en Diciembre (me refiero al de la Ciudad, que incluye al Colón). Se supone que la Legislatura vuelva a analizar el asunto en Febrero y es de esperar que la Ciudad no caiga en la trampa en la que cayó el Parlamento nacional (como se sabe, el presupuesto de 2010 también regirá en 2011, y los fondos adicionales fueron obtenidos mediante un decreto de necesidad y urgencia de muy alta cifra). Si entonces el presupuesto del Colón fuese presentado tal como lo fue en Diciembre, elevaría el dinero en números redondos de unos 145 a unos 185 millones de pesos, ¡aunque sin aumento salarial! Si no fuese aprobado, García Caffi tendría 40 millones menos de los que pidió, y estaría en un problema, ya que supuestamente tiene contratos firmados hasta cubrir la cifra solicitada. Además supongo que deberá agregar el gasto del nuevo convenio, cuyo monto total no fue revelado.

    d) En efecto, lo que quedaba de la temporada en el momento de publicación del artículo anterior no tuvo lugar, salvo el CETC y una actuación de los estudiantes de ballet del ISA.

    Y ahora, una síntesis de la conferencia de prensa ofrecida por García Caffi el 20 de enero en la sede del Gobierno de la Ciudad. Para demostrar la "elegancia" de sus maneras, recibí la invitación el mismo día por mail a las 12,30 y la conferencia fue anunciada para las 15 y tuvo lugar a las 15,20. No es de extrañar la ausencia de mis colegas (aparte de sus posibles vacaciones).

    Sonriendo, García Caffi anunció un convenio salarial con los trabajadores que incluye una mejora pero ligada a una cláusula de productividad. No dio cifras ni detalles, aparte de decir que su objetivo era  asegurar el funcionamiento pleno del teatro. Dijo que se había firmado con los representantes gremiales y luego, en la sección preguntas y respuestas de la conferencia,admitió que todos eran de SUTECBA y que ATE no intervino. Pero mencionó que "la mayoría" del teatro lo aceptaba. Y esto es falso, porque esa mayoría está de vacaciones hasta el 15 de Febrero y no puede ser consultada, y la nueva Asamblea del personal está convocada para Febrero 16.

    Dio un dato interesante: los empleados son actualmente 925; de modo que, a través de maneras aberrantes, se ha aproximado a su meta de eliminar a 400 personas del padrón del Colón. ¿Pero cuántos de los ausentes han sido reemplazados por tercerizados? Creo que si las cifras se conocieran mostrarían que el Gobierno está pagando mucho más que antes; entonces ¿qué sentido tuvieron estas transferencias absurdas y dislocantes? Un caso de muestra: el último número de la Revista del Colón es un "álbum de fotos" de la temporada pasada firmadas Parpagnoli (!) y Colombaroli, miembros de una sección "disuelta" que el Colón debió retomar por sentencia judicial.

    El convenio fue homologado por las paritarias centrales de la Ciudad, también de SUTECBA. Sin embargo, hubo convenios y charlas del Gobierno con ATE durante 2010. Considerando que en la actualidad alrededor del 18% es de SUTECBA, un % similar de ATE y el resto independiente, y que la Asamblea recién tiene lugar en Febrero, éste es sólo un convenio con un sector minoritario y con poca posibilidad de ser aprobado en Febrero. Como la guerra es con ATE y no con SUTECBA, no se ve el sentido de este convenio. Hubiera sido un paso adelante un convenio con ambos sindicatos, pero ATE ha comentado en términos virulentos el convenio , considerándolo nulo y expresando que si el gobierno no encuentra un camino de equidad con ATE y los independientes, no habrá temporada. También dicen que este convenio se parece a anteriores componendas entre unos pocos delegados de SUTECBA y el Gobierno, sin consenso alguno.

    Después de la conferencia, SUTECBA envió algunos detalles, que muestran que en vez de aumentar los salarios en un porcentaje (para ATE y para mí debería ser del 40%) figura el viejo arsenal de sumas reconocidas por cosas que son simplemente una obligación, tales como presentarse a trabajar ("presentismo"), o hacer su trabajo dentro de su horario normal (¿cómo se mide la "productividad"?). Un punto donde quizás ATE esté de acuerdo es lo que llaman la "carrera", expresando que a medida que pasan los años de buen trabajo ello debería reflejarse no sólo en el salario sino en un puesto más alto en el escalafón; aunque el concepto es algo vago, tiene sentido. Y para muchos serán bienvenidas las sumas "adicionales" previstas: $250 en Enero, $300 en Febrero y $400 a partir de Marzo. Pero la mayor parte de los conceptos previstos en el convenio son no remunerativos, más cerca del negro que del blanco (llamémoslos como mucho "grises") y ése no es un buen camino. No cuentan para la jubilación.

    De modo que el convenio es en el mejor de los casos dudoso. Y como García Caffi promete sanciones aún más duras en contra de ATE (incluso penales) , y como la mayor parte de los miembros de las dos orquestas y del ballet se mostraron completamente en guerra en Diciembre con el Gobierno, no veo cómo este convenio puede asegurar nada bueno para el futuro. Pero el tiempo dirá.

    Dos posdatas: a) aunque García Caffi negó que haya algo de malo con los pisos del escenario y de la sala de ensayos del ballet (este cuerpo los denunció como duros y no aptos y actualmente el Dr. José Miguel Onaindia conduce una acción legal contra el Gobierno por las inaceptables condiciones de los pisos), anunció que el Colón compró un piso del tipo Arlequín, que supuestamente pasará nuestra Aduana en las próximas semanas. b) Los primeros tres títulos de ópera de la temporada ya están siendo preparados por los técnicos, que están trabajando durante estas semanas (supongo que toman sus vacaciones por turno). Son "Le Grand Macabre" de Ligeti, el "Trittico" de Puccini y "La Flauta Mágica" de Mozart. Esto al menos demuestra que García Caffi cree que puede ganar esta guerra. 

Doubtful agreement at the Colón offers no guarantees

            My last article on the Colón was published on December 7, 2010, and it had an ominous title: "The Colón war is on". Now an agreement with the labor union SUTECBA was presented by General Director Pedro Pablo García Caffi as a happy occasion that will assure the Colón´s activities during 2011. I disagree, and these paragraphs will explain why. But before going on to those arguments, some information concerning points raised in my mentioned article seems useful.

a)     I mentioned sanctions against seven people; now many others have been similarly sanctioned, and in one particular case, that of José Piazza, who had obtained a judicial sentence annulling it, not only this was disregarded but he got an extra 30 days of suspension!

b)     García Caffi had accepted the nomination of Máximo Parpagnoli to the often postponed election of the employees´ Director (according to the Autarchy Law there must be five directors, four named by Macri and one elected by labor). But SUTECBA, knowing full well that their candidate would lose and Parpagnoli (ATE´s representative) would win, "convinced" García Caffi to postpone the election another six months…

c)      Of course, the season wasn´t announced in December, and García Caffi said now that "in a few days" it will. If he does announce it, he would commit a grave irresponsibility, for there´s a basic fact: the budget wasn´t approved in December (I mean the City´s budget, which includes the Colón). The Legislature is supposed to tackle the problem in February and it is to be hoped that the city won´t fall into the trap of the nation´s Parliament (as you know, the 2010 budget will be the basis for 2011, and extra funds are decreed by the Executive with no holds barred). If the Colón´s budget is approved as presented, it would raise the total money available roughly from 145 to 185 million pesos, although with no salary raise! But if it isn´t, García Caffi would have to make do with forty million less, and as contracts are supposed to have been concluded that necessitate the higher figure to be accomplished, he would be in a jam. Also, I suppose he will have to add the new agreement, whose total amount wasn´t revealed.

d)     Indeed, what was left of the season at that time (December 7) didn´t happen, except for the Center for Experimentation and a show by the ballet students of the Institute.

                        And now, a synthesis of the press conference offered by García Caffi on January 20 at the City Government. To show the "elegance" of his ways, I received the invitation the same day at 12,30 a.m. and the press conference was held at 3 p.m…No wonder the dearth of my colleagues (apart from their possible holidays).

            Beaming, GC announced a salary agreement with the workers that includes a bettering of what they perceive but tied to a productivity clause. He mentioned no figures and gave no details, apart from saying that the objective was to ensure the full functioning of the theatre. He said that it was signed with the "labor representatives" and later, in the question-and-answer section of the conference, admitted that they were all SUTECBA and that ATE didn´t intervene. But he mentioned that "the majority" of the theatre accepted it. This is quite untrue, for most are on vacation until February 15 and couldn´t be consulted, and the next Assembly of the personnel is slated for February 16.

            He gave an interesting fact: the employees number 925; so, by the most devious  and aberrant ways, he has come close to the goal of eliminating 400 people from the Colón roster. ¿But how many of the absent ones have been replaced by outsiders? ("tercerización"). I believe that if the figures were available they would show that the Government is actually paying far more; so what is the sense of such disrupting and silly transfers? A case in point: the last number of the Colón magazine is a portfolio of photographs signed Parpagnoli (¡) and Colombaroli, a "dissolved" section that the Colón was forced by judiciary sentence to take back.

            The agreement was ratified by the central labor talks of the City ("paritarias"), which also means SUTECBA. However, there have been agreements between the Government and ATE during 2010. Considering that nowadays about 18% of the Colón is SUTECBA, another 18% is ATE and all the rest are independent, and that the Assembly only convenes on February, this is only an agreement with a minority sector with little chance to be approved in February. As the war was on with ATE and not SUTECBA, one hardly sees the point of it. A breakthrough would have been a joint session with both unions, but ATE has now commented in virulent terms GC´s agreement, considering it null and saying that unless the Government finds a way to be fair to ATE and the independents, there will be no season. They also say that this resembles earlier "arrangements" between a few SUTECBA delegates and the Government, with no consensus at all.

            SUTECBA also sent, after the press conference, some details, and it shows that instead of simply augmenting salaries a given percentage (for ATE, and I agree, it should be 40%), there´s the old arsenal of sums for things that are simply an obligation, such as showing up at work ("presentismo"), or doing their job during their appointed hours (how do you measure "productivity"?). One point with which I suppose ATE can agree is what labor men call "the career", meaning that years of good honest work should include both a better salary and a higher place in the pay roll; although the concept is rather vague, it makes some sense.  And  the "additional" sums of $250 in January, $300 in Febaruary and $ 400 in March will be welcome, of course. But most of these moneys are what they call "non-remunerative", which means that they are closer to black than to white (let´s call them "grey" at most), and that´s hardly a good road to take. It won´t count for retirement.

            So the agreement is moot at best. And as GC promises deeper sanctions against ATE (even penal ones) and as most orchestra and ballet members have shown themselves completely at war with the Government in December, I don´t see how this ensures anything good for the future. But time will tell.

            Two postscripts: a) although denying that there´s anything wrong with the floors of the stage or the rehearsal room (the ballet has denounced them as hard and currently Dr. José Miguel Onaindia is conducting a legal action against the Government for lesions and unacceptable conditions), GC announced that the Colón has bought a new floor of the Harlequin type, supposedly going through our Port´s customs in the next weeks. b) The first three titles of the opera season are being prepared already by the technicians, who are working during these weeks (I suppose they take their vacations by shifts). They are Ligeti´s "Le Grand Macabre", Puccini´s "Trittico" and Mozart´s "The Magic Flute".  This shows at least that GC still believes that he will win the war.

For Buenos Aires Herald