Swap mother for a motorbike – divorce Spanish style

Cambio madre por moto (Swap mother for a motorbike)  is a chamber opera by the Belgian composer, Frank Nuyts to an original libretto by the best-selling Spanish author Rosa Montero. This was the final commission that Gerard Mortier submitted as intendant of the Teatro Real Madrid. Following Mortier’s departure from Spain in 2013, the opera was not played and, after his death in 2014, remained lying in a drawer for a long time. Ten years later, Flanders Festival Ghent presents the world premiere of Cambio madre, in collaboration with Muziektheater Transparant, six singers and the Dutch ensemble Asko Schönberg under the musical direction of Benjamin Haemhouts and in a mise-en-espace by the young Belgian director Aïda Gabriëls.  This unusual opera is streamed by Slippedisc courtesy of OperaVision.

The Plot:  with a light touch and in contemporary Spanish, Rosa Montero’s funny libretto tells the story of a husband and wife who want to divorce and discuss this with their children for the first time. To make matters worse, the husband’s mother and the lawyer turn up. The latter is a family friend and a specialist divorce lawyer, but he turns out to be rather closer to the mother than expected; all ingredients for incisive dialogues full of familiar arguments back and forth. ‘The children come first!’ is the parents’ mantra, but whether this is actually the case remains to be seen…

Sung in Spanish with subtitles in English and Spanish.

Available tonight  Friday 15 March 2024 at 1900 CET/   1800 London  /   1300 NY