Real Alcázar de Sevilla
“Sevilla Ciudad de Ópera”
Friday, March 28, 2025, at 9:00 PM.

World premiere:

M A G A L L A N E S
No hay rosa sin espinas

Opera in three acts
by Giovanni Scapecchi and Marco Reghezza
based on a libretto by José Manuel De La Fuente

Press Review:
The Real Alcázar of Seville will host the world premiere of the opera Magallanes. No Hay rosa sin espinas on Friday, March 28 at 9:00 PM. This is a staged concert based on the music of the opera written by composers Marco Reghezza and Giovanni Scapecchi, with a Spanish libretto by José M. Núñez de la Fuente, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the globe.
This event, sponsored by the Real Alcázar of Seville and produced by 16 Escalones Producciones, will offer a unique experience in an incomparable historical setting: the Patio de la Montería at the Real Alcázar of Seville, which will be transformed into an exceptional stage.
Seville was declared “Ciudad de la Ópera” in January, becoming an international center for lyric theater. The music of the two Italian composers will pave the way for this grand project that will be prominent in the Andalusian city for years to come.
It should be noted that Magallanes is also a project of national interest for the Spanish and Portuguese governments.
The birth of the opera began when José M. Núñez de la Fuente, a renowned anthropologist and the world’s leading expert on the Magellan expedition (1519-1522), asked the Ligurian composer in 2013 if he would take on a task from another era. Reghezza agreed but immediately decided to share the opportunity with a respected composer he had met a few years earlier. Thus, the artistic collaboration with Giovanni Scapecchi was born. Together, the two musicians completed the composition of the score, which includes around 200,000 notes. In 2019, the work, which features a rather rich orchestration similar to Puccini’s Turandot, could be considered finished. But, as the history of opera teaches us, modifications, cuts, or other changes are always on the horizon.
In February 2020, Maestro Plácido Domingo presented the score at the Teatro Real in Madrid to begin the first choral rehearsals. A few days later, Covid halted the entire production.
Subsequently, some excerpts of the opera were presented at the Kennedy Center and the U.S. National Opera in Washington, receiving approval from the attending audience.
However, this will be the first time the opera can be heard in its near entirety in such a prestigious location, the Real Alcázar, a place where Magellan himself stayed when he moved to Seville.
From the Seville City Hall, Councillor Juan Bueno states: “This staged concert transports the audience back to the 16th century, when Seville was the epicenter of knowledge, science, and global expansion, leaving its mark on historical sites such as the Royal Alcazar, the Shipyards, the Casa del Comercio, the Port, and the Cathedral. Through music, singing, and acting, the performance blends the emotion and power of the operatic genre into a unique experience, bringing one of the greatest epic poems of humanity back to life. This event is the prelude to the cultural program designed to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the marriage of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal in Seville. The staging of this opera integrates all the arts that have made opera a global art form: music, singing, and acting, all combined with cutting-edge audiovisual technology. The musical composition blends styles and emotions, combining Gregorian-inspired passages with atonal melodies, reflecting the uncertainty and mystery of the journey undertaken by the five ships led by Magellan.”
As expected, the cast is extraordinary, both in terms of musical performance and bel canto execution. Noteworthy is the participation of talents from Seville and Andalusia, such as the musical director, Maestro Francisco Javier Gutiérrez Juan, singers like Damián del Castillo and Mariola Cantarero, as well as the Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of the Málaga Opera House.
The team working on the scenic apparatus (directing, costumes, audiovisual designer, and lighting) are all internationally recognized.
Additionally, a sizable group of international artists from Italy, Argentina, and the United States have come together for this grand premiere, forming a core of high-level artistic and organizational excellence (Israel Lozano, Luciano Miotto, Sergio Kuhlmann).
The staging of this opera at the Royal Alcázar of Seville offers an innovative approach to scenography, a concept designed by José M. Núñez de la Fuente, which incorporates a massive immersive backdrop with projections on the façade of the Mudejar Palace. Through these images, the audience will be able to immerse themselves in the beauty of Patagonia’s sunsets, stormy seas, and the historic settings where the expedition took place, all in balance with the musical and textual power of the opera.
Directors and entrepreneurs from major international theaters interested in producing the event have been invited to the evening.

For more information:
https://www.sevilla.org
https://vivasevilla.es
https://www.europapress.es
https://elegirhoy.com
https://alcazarsevilla.org
https://sevillasecreta.co