Letters of a love betrayed (2009)

Analía has been sent to a convent school following the death of her parents. She has been brought up by the nuns in a kindly fashion, but has been largely ignored by her surviving family, and lives in a world of her own imagination.

Her uncle is administrator of her property, but wishes to gain more permanent control of the estate. However she refuses his request to sign the land over, and announces that she intends to marry and run the estate herself. Eugenio decides that his son should marry Analía, to which end the son, a dissolute wastrel, is required to court her by post.

On the basis of these letters, full of character, Analía falls in love and marries him, but quickly discovers this is not a good basis for marriage. Again she withdraws from the world, taking interest only in her young son.

Luis is eventually killed in a bar room brawl. It is only afterwards that she discovers the letters were written on his instructions by his old schoolmaster. This leads to the prospect of a happy ending.

Royal Opera House, 2009

Artists:

• Conductor - Michael Rafferty
• Director - Michael McCarthy
• Analia - Mary Plazas, soprano
• Priest - Paul Keohone, baritone
• Eugenio - Jonathan May, bass-baritone
• Mother Superior - Arlene Rolph, mezzo-soprano
• Luis - Christopher Steele, tenor
• José - Richard Edgar-Wilson, tenor