An opera from Brazil?! Claudio Franco de Sá Santoro (1919–1989) and his only opera, „Alma“, from 1984?! What curious opera lover, filled with boundless joy at the rediscovery of rarities, wouldn’t sit up and take notice? This truly exotic opera will receive its European premiere at the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau in February 2026. So let’s go!
From the Anhaltisches Theater preview: The opera tells the story of Alma, a young woman from a lower-middle-class family in São Paulo. She turns to prostitution - out of an inexplicable love for the gigolo Mauro, who controls and exploits her as her pimp. She hides her double life from her grandfather Lucas as well as from João do Carmo, a poor telegraph operator who loves Alma. When Alma becomes pregnant with Mauro’s child, she flees from her pimp and seeks help from her grandfather, who, however, sends her away so as not to bring shame upon him and his house. João do Carmo takes in the desperate Alma, hoping to win her heart. But Alma’s past casts a shadow over their relationship and determines the couple’s fate.
Dessau – Anhaltisches Theater
“Oh, pure verismo” - that’s the first thing that comes to mind … and yes, why not? The joys and sorrows of ordinary people (no kings, no queens, no gods) are, after all, a defining feature of these operas, which is what makes verismo timeless.
Claudio Santoro, born in Manaus in 1919, showered with honors, awards and high-ranking positions in musical institutions, led a long (beginning as a child violin prodigy), eventful and productive musical career. His musical style corresponds to 20th-century neoclassicism (he largely avoids the twelve-tone technique) and in many works naturally incorporates culture-specific elements of his native Brazil.
He founded orchestras in Brazil - the Chamber Orchestra of the Radio Ministry of Education in Rio de Janeiro and the Symphonic Orchestra of the National Theater of Brasília.
Claudio Santoro, from the Anhaltisches Theater, © Composer’s Archive
“Alma” European premiere at the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau; subject preview, graphic © Robert Voss; Markus L. Frank (conductor), Kammersängerin Iordanka Derilova (Alma), Costa Latsos (João), photos © Claudia Heysel
Santoro also worked for many years in Germany as a professor of conducting at the Mannheim University of Music (1970–78). His frequent visits to and invitations from what were then communist states were also due to his Marxist-oriented political views (he was a member of the Communist Party of Brazil). This, however caused him difficulties in other contexts - for instance, in the 1940s he was unable to accept a scholarship from the Guggenheim Foundation because he was denied a visa by the United States. Fortunately he was soon able to study with the world-renowned musician Nadia Boulanger in Paris.
Santoro’s musical oeuvre is extensive, encompassing symphonies, piano concertos, string quartets and a wide variety of chamber music. “Alma” was composed in Brazil in 1985.
Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, from Wikipedia; opened in 1896 during an economic boom and closed after a short run; reopened only in 1990
„Alma“ 2019 at Festival Amazonas de Ópera, Denise de Freitas (as Alma); photos © Michael Dantas
The Naxos label has dedicated numerous recordings to this country in its series “The Music of Brazil.” The 5th and 7th symphonies are often recommended, Naxos 8.574402; EAN: 7 47313 440276.
Claudio Santoro died of a heart attack in Brasília in 1989 while rehearsing with the Symphonic Orchestra.
“Alma” has since been successfully performed in Dessau. From the reviews: (...) Overall, this Portuguese-language production is a major achievement for the entire Dessau company and a triumph for Iordanka Derilova. She is completely at home in the title role, giving her all both vocally and dramatically, and is rightly celebrated for it at the end.
(...) The outstanding performance of the evening was that of Alma, characterised by Iordanka Derilova, whose magnificent spinto soprano was outstanding, equally in the most terrible moments and those few scenes in which she is happy and content. Her acting was quite outstanding as she was brutally abused and showed her hatred for those who had betrayed her. [Gregor Tassie https://seenandheard-international.com/]
From the premiere on February 28, 2026, in Dessau; Photos © Claudia Heysel
Given the uniqueness of this European premiere, it certainly inspires one to explore Brazilian opera composers further, which inevitably leads to Antônio Carlos Gomes. However, his operatic output predates Santoro’s Alma by more than a century. Gomes was active primarily in Italy as an opera composer. His best-known opera, “Il Guarany,” premiered in 1870 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. As a contemporary of Giuseppe Verdi, Gomes was also drawn to Victor Hugo’s works as source material for operas (for example, for his opera “Maria Tudor”). Antonio Ghislanzoni - the librettist for Verdi’s Aida - also wrote libretti for operas (“Salvator Rosa,” “Fosca”) by Antônio Carlos Gomes. A journey of discovery on the internet to explore this nearly forgotten composer is certainly worthwhile.
“Lo Schiavo” from the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2019; © Priamo Tolu
Links:
Claudio Santoro's website:
http://www.claudiosantoro.art.br/San_Eng/open.html
Link to Anhaltisches Theater:
https://anhaltisches-theater.de/alma
About Naxos – Music of Brazil:
https://www.naxos.com/EditionSeries/Detail/?title=The_Music_of_Brazil
Performance (YouTube) at the Amazonas Festival 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq9JU3IrT24&list=RDaq9JU3IrT24&start_radio=1
About the performance of “Il Guarany” at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, 2023 [with Robert Minczuk (conductor), Enrique Bravo (Peri), Laura Pisani (Cecilia), and Bongani J. Kubheka (Gonzales)]:
https://youtu.be/x5c1WgTz6kM?si=0xVbLAZbOaemQ_JO
Trailer for “Lo Schiavo” for a recording available on DVD from Cagliari, 2019: