Lost Opera by Manuel de Falla, Featuring Chopin's Music, Rediscovered and Set for Polish Premiere

A significant rediscovery in the world of classical music has brought to light a lost opera by the renowned Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. Titled "Fuego fatuo" (Will-o'-the-Wisp), the opera is unique in that its entire musical score is based on the piano works of Frédéric Chopin, which de Falla himself orchestrated. Paolo Pinamonti, director of the International Festival of Music and Dance in Granada, confirmed that the opera's music is exclusively derived from Chopin's compositions.

De Falla began working on "Fuego fatuo" in 1918, aiming for performances in Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris. However, the opera never reached the stage. Obstacles included difficulties in staging and disagreements with the librettist, María de la Lejárraga. The manuscript, containing all three acts, has been housed in the Manuel de Falla Archive in Granada for years, but it was incomplete. The composer had not orchestrated the second act, and the libretto text was believed to be lost.

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The music of this opera is based entirely on Chopin's works, which de Falla himself orchestrated.

Interest in the opera was revived with the recent finding of the complete libretto by María de la Lejárraga. Efforts are now underway to complete the musical sections, making "Fuego fatuo" ready for its stage debut. The opera tells a story of a love triangle involving a young composer, Leonard, his teacher's daughter, Clara, and a capricious princess, Lisa, who is aided by a former lover, Lord Tristan. Despite the romantic entanglements, the opera is a comic work with a happy ending, where Leonard regains Clara and Lisa realizes her true love.

This rediscovery is being brought to life through a coproduction involving several institutions, including the Opera and Philharmonic in Białystok, Poland. The Polish premiere of "Fuego fatuo" is expected to hold particular significance in the context of the centenary celebrations for the Chopin Competition, further highlighting the connection between the two composers.

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Fuego fatuo is a story of a love triangle between a young composer Leonard (baritone) and the modest Clara (soprano), the daughter of his teacher, and the frivolous Princess Lisa (soprano), who, aided by one of her former lovers, Lord Tristan (bass), seduces Leonard.