What happens when something is lost to the sands of time? What happens when that very same thing is dusted off after 80 years? We'll examine both cases today. Eustasio Rosales was a Colombian composer born in 1875 who was one of 27 Million people to visit the 1893 World's Fair. The fair inspired millions of people the world over, and Rosales was one of them. He was so moved that he decided to come to Chicago in 1900. From there he started to make his way as a music man in the city of big shoulders. He played piano for silent movies. He conducted nightclub bands. But all the while, he was working towards his big goal: an opera. He wrote all of the music. He designed the backdrop. He was even corresponding with his brother back in Colombia who was writing the lyrics. He had a name for it: Andina. In the early 30s, he even conducted a group at Orchestra Hall. All was going according to plan. Christmas Eve, 1934: Rosales and his family are all ready to celebrate another Christmas. Suddenly, his wife gathers the family around Eustasio in the living room. He has had a heart attack. The family begins praying, and in the middle of it Eustasio Rosales dies. The family is devastated. His widow is wracked with grief. Andina and all of its corresponding materials go into a bankers box and get stashed in a closet. Over the next 80 years, various members of the family try to have the opera performed, but to no success.
Finally, in the fall of 2013, Arlen Parsa is going through old family papers when he sees the opera. Arlen Parsa is the great-grandson of Eustasio Rosales. After hearing the story of its journey, he decides to do something about it. The thing is, Parsa isn't very well-versed in the field of music. Not one to be deterred, he researches how to put on an opera, and begins assembling a team. First he finds someone who can transfer the 80 year old hand-written score into notation software so that it is nice and readable. Then he needs to find a conductor to lead the orchestra. Having accomplished that, he recruits the Chicago Composers Orchestra to actually play the music. After getting together the instrumental and vocal talent, Parsa still needs a place to actually perform the opera. After searching around, he found a willing host in the Athenaeum Theatre in Lakeview. After finding people to take care of the technical production and the publicity, the curtain is ready to go up on the show. On September 18, 2015, the world premiere of Andina finally takes place, 80 years after it was meant to. It is well-received, and this work from Eustasio Rosales has finally seen the light.
Note: The inspiration for this post, as well as the information contiained within come from a documentary about this journey titled The Way to Andina, which is extremely informative and goes much further into detail than I do here.
