World premiere of this new opera by Raquel García-Tomás staged by Marta Pazos

“I am twenty-five and, though I am still young, I am undoubtedly approaching the fatal end of my existence. I have suffered deeply, and I have suffered alone, abandoned by everyone!”, Mes souvenirs, Herculine Barbin

Inspiration for this opera comes from the story of Adélaïde Herculine Barbin, also known as Alexina B., an intersex person born in France in 1838. Her testimony provides moving and fertile input for the sound universe of Raquel García Tomás, the winner of the 2020 National Award for Music.

Alexina was assigned the female sex at birth and grew up in a convent. Later, when working as a teacher, she fell in love with a female companion. In a society where accepting differences was a complex matter and heterosexuality was the norm, Alexina re-defined herself as a man and changed her legal sex and identity to become Abel Barbin. Unable to adapt, however, she was reduced to solitude and ultimately killed herself.

This striking tale forces us to examine ourselves as a community and to see the damage our condemnations cause. It reveals the violence of religious and medical institutions and of a heteronormative society which permits neither self-assertion nor self-determination outside gender and sex binarism. With a libretto by Irène Gayraud and sets by Marta Pazos (who worked with García-Tomás on Je suis narcissiste, 2019), this three-act opera tells of a struggle for identity which, for Alexina, ends in a veritable leap into the void.

With the exclusive sponsorship of:

Fundación BBVA

 

 

 

 

With the support of:

Logo INAEM
Logo Capital BCN

Show included at the Barcelona Obertura Spring Festival

Barcelona Obertura

 

 

 

 

Alexina B.
World premiere
Libretto by: Irène Gayraud, inspired by the memoirs of Hérculine Barbin (also known as Alexina B.), Mes Souvenirs (France, 1868). 

Project carried out thanks to the Fundación BBVA's Leonardo Grant for Cultural Researchers and Creators, 2020

 

 

  • Approximate running time 2h 50min
    • First act 1h 10min
    • Interval 30min
    • Second act 1h 10min
    • Third act 20min

Artistic profile

Stage director
Marta Pazos
Set design
Max Glaenzel
Costume design
Silvia Delagneau
Lighting
Nuno Meira
Coreography
María Cabeza de Vaca
Video
Raquel García-Tomás
Sound
Sixto Cámara
Musical Director Assistant
Lorenzo Ferrandiz
Production
Gran Teatre del Liceu

Cast

ALEXINA BARBIN / ABEL BARBIN
SARA
POLICEMAN / MADAME P. / ALEXINA’S MOTHER / SISTER MARIE DES ANGES
DOCTOR GOUJON / THE DOCTOR / DOCTOR H./ THE ABBOT/ MONSEIGNEUR/ THE JUDGE
YOUNG ALEXINA / LÉA / CONVENT PUPIL
CONVENT PUPILS
Cor Vivaldi-Petits Cantors de Catalunya (Òscar Boada, conductor)
Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
Conductor
Ernest Martínez Izquierdo
La Fundación BBVA no es responsabilitza de les opinions, comentaris i continguts inclosos en el projecte i/o els resultats derivats del mateix, els quals són total i absoluta responsabilitat dels seus autors.

March 2023

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Programa de mà

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La prèvia

La prèvia és un podcast del Gran Teatre del Liceu. En aquest capítol parlem d'Alexina B. de Raquel García-Tomás, produït per La máquina de la luz i amb guió de Javier Blánquez.