After a summer of institutional mishaps to raise the pulse of the most hardened spin doctor, the Royal Ballet and Opera's new season was audible far beyond the venue. Shame on you, chanted protesters over a powerful PA system outside. Some, standing amid yellow and blue flags, simply held placards. Art is not neutral, read one. And indeed it isn't, though opera's entanglements in international geopolitics are rarely as visible as at Covent Garden in recent months.
Ambriz died Aug. 28. The official cause of her death was not immediately known, but local media reported it was due to cancer. Ambriz was the singing voice for the 1991 Spanish version of the "Beauty and the Beast". She was a key figure in Mexican opera and was known for her extensive repertoire that included opera, oratorio, chamber music, renaissance, and contemporary music.
Geter emphasizes that the opera is not just about interracial marriage, but also about the universal quest to return to one's roots and home.