Javier Camarena, Rebeca Olvera and Josué Cerón return to the stage where they debuted 15 years ago with the opera that catapulted their careers, La fille du régiment by Donizetti. This semi-stage concert version production was attended by the Orchestra and Choir of Teatro de Bellas Artes, all of them under musical direction of Iván López Reynoso.

Mexican tenor Javier Camarena returned to give an emotional bis from the opera by Gaetano Donizetti La fille du régiment, but this time in his country and in  Palacio de Bellas Artes he has considered his artistic home, the highest stage where he debuted in 2004 together with soprano Rebeca Olvera and baritone Josué Cerón, who also gave themselves to the public about fifteen years ago. 

This Thursday night, the tenor from Veracruz with this a bis in this enclosure, the first to be remembered in his recent history, as he did in other large stages such as the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Royal Opera House of London and Teatro Real of Madrid. 

It was an extremely emotional moment. The public was already prepared to enjoy this historical event in the life of the Mexican tenor. Shortly before finishing the first part of the opera La fille du régiment, by Donizetti, his character Tonio, dressed in a French military, plays the Aryan Ah Mes amis quel jour de fête. 

Camarena ends her singing with her arms extended to the universe. The audience applauds for two, three minutes; exhausted, moved, excited, he prostrates himself on the stage of the Palace of Fine Arts with one knee on the floor and one hand on his chest, and so another two, three minutes pass, until, at the signal of the concerting director, Iván López Reynoso, his teammates leave him alone on stage, in front of an audience that does not cease to applaud. 

And he repeats his song, that which has managed to move the audiences of the most prestigious opera houses and that has led him to be considered, today, the best tenor in the world: the Mexican Javier Camarena. 

All this happened in the presentation – first of two functions – of the opera La fille du régiment, by Gaetano Donizetti, in semi-stage concert version, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the debut of the Veracruz singer at Palacio de Bellas Artes, precisely with this work that catapulted his international career. 

Camarena was accompanied on stage by two other outstanding performers: the soprano Rebeca Olvera (Marie, the daughter of the regiment) and the baritone Josué Cerón (Sulpice, tutor of Marie), with whom she won the National Singing Contest Carlo Morelli in 2004. 

Together they debuted that same year in La fille du régiment and since then they have repeated their staging in later years, already as a cast classic. The performances of Olvera and Cerón on Thursday night shocked and excited the public equally. Those who could not attend this first presentation, had the opportunity to see it through social networks and the official website of INBAL and the Palace of Fine Arts. 

The staging was attended by the Secretary of Culture of the federal government, Alejandra Frausto; the director general of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, Dr. Lucina Jiménez, and the director of  Ópera de Bellas Artes, Alonso Escalante, as well as numerous friends and colleagues from the cast, in addition to the audience that filled the Main Hall. 

This cheerful and festive celebration it was full of pleasant surprises that aroused long applause from the audience. The concert director was in charge of the teacher Iván López Reynoso, the stage director of César Piña and the guest address of the Choir of the Theater of Fine Arts corresponded to Cara Tasher. 

A cast of singers experienced María Luisa Tamez were integrated as the Marquise de Berkenfeld, Arturo Lopez, Jose Luis Reynoso and Ephraim Corralejo, Ademas special actoral participation of Florinda Meza as the Duchess of Crakentorp, who also aroused the applause of the audience, all of them sheltered by the Orchestra and Choir of the Theater of Fine Arts. 

Camarena-Olvera-Cerón headed this story of a young orphan raised by a French regiment, who at the age of marriage is found by her mother, who takes her to her castle to be educated and marry an aristocrat. Her crush, Tonio, follows her and does her best to be with her, facing a thousand vicissitudes. 

It should be noted that this work was premiered at the Paris Opera-Comique on February 11, 1840 and in Mexico on October 17, 1852 at the Grand National Theater. The cast composed of Javier Camarena, Rebeca Olvera and Josué Cerón staged it in their debut in 2004 and 2005, and presented it again in 2011, although without Camarena. 

On this occasion, the translation and adaptation of the dialogues was carried out by the tenor Javier Camarena himself, who gave them a very national touch by incorporating some words typical of the everyday language of Mexicans and referring to places, characters and customs characteristic of our country. 

La fille du régiment, by Gaetano Donizetti, with whom the National Opera Company began its 2020 season, will be staged again on Sunday, February 16 at 5:00 p.m. in the Main Hall of the Palace of Fine Arts.