Marcelo Lombardero: "Justice is relative; fairness is something else."

While the Teatro Colón—the opera house of which he served as artistic director, as well as the Teatro Argentino in La Plata—offers its award-winning production of Benjamin Britten 's Billy Budd as its Argentine premiere, Argentine stage director and cultural manager Marcelo Lombardero is living a present far from his hometown. From his office in Mexico, where he assumed the position of artistic director of the National Opera Company and the Bellas Artes Opera Studio in November of last year, Lombardero speaks with Ñ about his present, the current implications of Britten's work, tradition, innovation, and cultural policies.

Behind him loom two of the city's main thoroughfares, and the splendid modernist hall (the Palacio de Bellas Artes, in the "Aztec art deco " style, as he defines it) where the company operates, but which is shared with other facilities of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature to which it belongs. "There are countless venues in the city, but it's like the Colón: everyone wants to go there. I don't have studios: I have to outsource everything; I have to order construction. On the one hand, I have fewer problems in terms of unions and day-to-day operations. But in terms of artistry and production capacity, it's nothing compared to an opera house."

In 2013, on the eve of the centenary of Britten 's birth, Lombardero – who at that time directed the Argentino in La Plata – and Andrés Rodríguez (at that time director of the Teatro Municipal in Santiago de Chile and current director of the Ópera del Colón) won a significant grant from the Britten Pears Foundation to produce this work, with the intention of it being seen in Santiago and La Plata.

The Chilean premiere took place, but its follow-up in La Plata fell through. “Things happened,” Lombardero says. “My artistic project at the Argentino fell through, I ended up leaving, and the project couldn't be realized at the Argentino. It's only fitting that, at the turn of history, it finally premiered at the Colón.” The production has musical direction by Erik Nielsen , set design by Diego Siliano , costumes by Luciana Gutman , and a cast of guest stars and renowned local artists.

In response to the assertion that Britten (one of the most important British opera composers of the second half of the 20th century) hasn't had the space he deserves locally, Lombardero reacts: "We beat ourselves up a lot, but the Colón has done more Britten than it seems. That's the problem with thinking as if we were exiled European princes: we are a Latin American country, with a strong European influence and which also has an operatic tradition."

And he adds: "And if you look at the programming of the world's theaters, with a few honorable exceptions, you're often surprised by the intellectual anemia when it comes to programming and thinking that the top ten are the only ones that attract. I've disbelieved in that for a long time and I think we've amply demonstrated it. If there's a logical pricing policy in the Theater, if what's said is interesting, it makes no difference today whether it's La Traviata or Billy Budd ."

Based on Herman Melville's novel, Britten's opera is a drama of rebellion and silence aboard an English warship in the late 18th century, in which the tension between contained and overt violence, obedience and abuse of power are treated unfiltered.

–How do the themes of this opera resonate with today's audiences?

–In Billy Budd, things come together that are also very interesting to look at from today. The play has a very clear premise in terms of the difference (and we are facing this paradox these days) between what is just and what is legal. The play is a biblical parable about that. Captain Vere has to comply with an order of justice within the law, knowing that by issuing that verdict, he is committing an act of injustice.

The point is that justice is done by men, and men are imperfect, and that legal order is often designed to protect specific interests. The Captain has to order Billy's death, knowing he's committing an act of injustice; but within that law, he has to establish that authority to prevent a mutiny, knowing he's committing an act of injustice and condemning an innocent person. And this anecdote serves to exemplify the struggle between good and evil, which is full of Catholic, biblical symbols. And this martyr is sent to be sacrificed to atone for the sins of others. But there are also other themes that are very powerful and very relevant today.

–The use of violence against the weak, a topic Britten consistently emphasizes, the stigmatization of the different and the violence exercised against the weakest, repressed desire, submission to power. Power that corrupts, the use of violence and surveillance to maintain the established order. This last paradox faces an ordinary, mediocre, and imperfect man when forced to discern what is legal from what is just.

Justice is relative; what is fair is something else. Fair is that everyone should eat, have a home, access to education, culture, and healthcare. That is what is fair. Now, the law says, and today more than ever they are saying it, every day, that this is not legal. That is the difference.

Due to these unplanned synchronicities, the premiere of Billy Budd coincided with that of Un re in ascolto , the opera by Luciano Berio with which the season of the National Opera Company directed by Lombardero continues, and which constitutes, at the same time, the first staged presentation of the work on the American continent.

–How open is the Mexican public to updated productions of operas in the repertoire or to proposals such as Un re in ascolto ?

–Mexico is a country with a great operatic tradition. There have been periods of greater or lesser splendor and openness, but very important things have been achieved here, and there are important directors who have contributed interesting perspectives. I never feel like I'm a founder of a place where I go, but I obviously have a perspective, and a perspective that also responds to a political perspective. Programming is always a political matter; so, in principle, I feel very close to the political process taking place in this country, to what is called the Fourth Transformation.

Of course, there's also a correlation with the Ministry of Culture, where there's also a desire to move forward, to include prominent artists from this country. Right now, anywhere, you'll find a Mexican singing, and singing well. That's very impressive, and it's thanks to the work of many people in this country and, above all, to institutions that promote this situation. In that sense, the most important thing for us is to count on our local artists and nurture them with foreign artists.

–What is the response so far?

Those who know me know that I have a certain perspective, a certain bias, and I felt the first season had to have that tone. We opened the season with Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk , my production, which had been put on hold here since the pandemic, which was performed at the Argentino in La Plata, in Santiago de Chile, and other venues. And it was a resounding success. We sold out all the performances 15 days before they went on sale.

I want to clarify that we don't have a subscription policy: we have to sell out every performance, which is difficult in some cases. And we're doing very well. The audience is accepting our proposal. Obviously, a gala with Javier Camarena and five performances of Rigoletto with a cast of major Mexican stars were easy to follow.

* Billy Budd will have eight performances at the Teatro Colón between July 1 and 12.