Goyescas (opera)

Goyescas is an opera in one act and three tableaux, written in 1915 by the Spanish composer Enrique Granados. Granados composed the opera to a Spanish libretto by Fernando Periquet y Zuaznabar with melodies taken from his 1911 piano suite, which was also called Goyescas. The opera was first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 28, 1916.

Prevented by World War I from being presented at the Paris Opéra, the premiere of Goyescas took place on January 28, 1916 at the Metropolitan Opera. It was the first opera to be performed there in Spanish. Paired on a double bill with Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, the opera's cast included the leading artists Giovanni Martinelli and Giuseppe De Luca. The stage production was directed by Jules Speck. It featured sets by the Milanese designer Antonio Rovescalli, and costumes by G. B. Santoni that followed the paintings of Goya.

The opera was well received. In his review for the New York Times, Richard Aldrich wrote that the music was "profoundly felt" and possessed "an intensely national color". In spite of this success, the short opera has never found a permanent place in the opera repertoire. It has not yet been repeated at the Met following its original five performances. More recently, Goyescas was presented in a well-received production at Central City Opera (Colorado) in 2003.

The Intermezzo from the opera became a popular independent concert piece. It is performed in arrangements for orchestra, and for cello and piano.

A Spanish film of Goyescas, adapted from the opera, was made in 1942. It was directed by Benito Perojo and starred Imperio Argentina.

Granados was inspired to write his popular piano suite by the paintings of Francisco Goya. After the enthusiastic response to the piano work, he was encouraged to compose the opera by Ernest Schelling, an American pianist who premiered the suite in the U.S.

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