Gabriela Lena Frank’s haunting new opera, ‘El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego,’ traversed the realms of love and mortality as famed muralist, Diego Rivera (baritone, Alfredo Daza) summons his wife, painter Frida Kahlo (mezzo-soprano, Daniela Mack) from the afterlife. The allure of painting again, guided by Catrina (an unrecognizable Ana Maria Martinez) and the spectral presence of Leonardo (Key’mon W. Murrah) impersonating Greta Garbo, draws Frida back to the living. Yet this chance isn’t free from limitations, as the opera reminds us that the human experience encompasses profound joys but also corporeal and emotional anguish.

Visually resplendent…reminds us that the human experience encompasses profound joys but also corporeal and emotional anguish

Directed by Jeremy Frank, the performance unfolded with ritualistic grace amidst a visually resplendent Día de los Muertos set. Adorned with candles, skulls, and vibrant religious imagery, the stage shimmered with hues of deep turmeric and intense blues, the latter reminiscent of Kahlo’s Casa Azul, which is now a museum. Eloise Kazan’s historically opulent costumes evoked the grandeur of Tenochtitlan, while Jorge Ballina’s tiered set design and Victor Zapatero’s saturated Wong Kar Wai-esque lighting added depth and an eerie, supernatural ambiance.

Mack’s commanding portrayal of Frida Kahlo resonated powerfully, harmonizing with Daza’s rich baritone as Rivera. Ana María Martínez, in her skeleton outfit infused Catrina with a chilling, but robust vitality, while Key’mon W. Murrah’s Leonardo brought elegant finesse, and a queer sensibility, occasionally stealing the spotlight. Conductor Lina González-Granados expertly navigated Frank’s purposefully atonal score with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Nilo Cruz, creating a vivid, occasionally chilling sonic landscape. LA Opera’s ‘Frida y Diego’ marks two historic firsts: the company’s debut of a Spanish-language opera and the premiere of a work composed by a female composer of color.

— Victor Riobo

LA Opera’s “El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego” plays at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion through December 9th. Tickets HERE.