The union of two free women
María Pagés combines the gipsy cigarette maker Carmen and the narrator of One Thousand and One Nights in the same story.
Transcending the romantic cliché and stripping away myths, the director and choreographer María Pagés is putting on stage two women characterised by their freedom and fearlessness. On the one hand, Carmen, the gipsy cigarette maker from Prosper Mérimée's novel of the same name, but above all popularised by Georges Bizet's opera; and on the other, Scheherazade, the storyteller from the collection of tales One Thousand and One Nights, who keeps the Persian sultan Shahriar awake with her stories in order to save herself. The outcome is the contemporary flamenco show De Scheherazade a Yo, Carmen, which, after receiving the applause at many stages around the world, is now landing at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
María Pagés is responsible for the choreography, costume design and musical direction as well as the stage direction, in collaboration with El Arbi El Harti, author of the dramaturgy, texts and lyrics. The music is composed by Pagés together with Rubén Levaniegos, Sergio Menem and David Moñiz. The piece is performed by two cantaoras, Ana Ramón and Cristina Pedrosa, and a dozen bailaoras, Júlia Gimeno, Marta Gálvez, Almudena Roca, Ariana López, Meritxell Rodríguez, Nerea Pinilla, Sofía Suárez, Yardén Amir, Marina González and Raquel Guillén, accompanied by five musicians. Pagés and El Harti wanted to show two free women who unashamedly and fearlessly express their desires and passions. With this proposal, Pagés "seeks to be the voice of all women, without any subterfuge, without fear or connotations constructed from the male gaze", explains the Liceu.
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