Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 10 - El último sueño de Frida y Diego

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 10 T he Day of the Dead, Día de Muertos, is a deeply rooted Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of the deceased with color, memory, and joy. Far from a somber affair, it is a time of remembrance when families honor loved ones who have passed away, believing their spirits return to visit. This vibrant tradition has influence and presence in numerous works of art, literature, and music — among them, the 2022 opera El último sueño de Frida y Diego ( The Last Dream of Frida and Diego ), composed by Gabriela Lena Frank with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz. The opera not only draws from the emotional and symbolic language of Día de Muertos but also opens an artistic doorway into the unique relationship between two of Mexico’s most iconic artists: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Typically celebrated on November 1 and 2, Día de Muertos blends pre-Hispanic indigenous beliefs with Catholic traditions introduced during Spanish colonization. Central to the celebration is the idea that the souls of the dead return each year to the world of the living. To welcome them, families create ofrendas (altars) adorned with marigolds, candles, food, personal items, and photographs. This act is not meant to mourn the dead, but to celebrate their lives and keep their memory alive. Día de Muertos emphasizes that death is not an end, but a continuation of existence in a different realm. This belief system makes the boundary between life and death permeable, a theme that is central to El último sueño de Frida y Diego . Premiered at San Diego Opera in 2022, the opera is an imaginative operatic narrative that takes place on the Day of the Dead. It tells the story of Diego Rivera, the famed muralist, longing to reunite with his deceased wife, Frida Kahlo, during Día de Muertos. Diego is still alive at the beginning of the opera, and as the dead return to visit the living, he hopes that Frida will cross over from the afterlife to see him once more. She is given the choice to return but initially refuses, having suffered greatly in her mortal life from illness, pain, and emotional turmoil. However, she ultimately does come back — not so much for Diego’s sake, but for her own need to remember and re-experience life through art, love, and self-discovery. The opera’s storyline weaves a deep connection to Día de Muertos by building its central dramatic conflict around the threshold between life and death, and the possibility of reunion across that divide. Just as families wait in hope for their loved ones to return each year during Día de Muertos, Diego yearns for Frida’s spiritual return. This longing creates a shared emotional space between the opera and the cultural practices of the holiday. Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz masterfully use the opera to explore the power of memory — another cornerstone of Día de Muertos. In Mexican tradition, the dead live on as long as they are remembered. Similarly, El último sueño suggests that Frida’s essence endures through Diego’s memories and her own artistic legacy. When Frida finally returns, she does not come back as a victim of her past, but as a woman who has reclaimed her narrative through memory and art. Art becomes a form of resurrection in the opera. Frida’s paintings — which often depicted her pain, her identity, and her surreal imaginings — are echoed in the opera’s visual and musical landscape. Frank’s composition fuses classical Western opera with Latin American musical idioms, incorporating indigenous instruments and rhythms that evoke Mexican folk traditions. This blending of styles parallels Frida’s own artistic hybridity and mirrors the fusion of indigenous and Catholic elements in the holiday’s celebrations. Another profound link between the opera and the holiday lies in the cultural significance of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera themselves. Both artists are deeply associated with Mexican national identity, and their work often celebrated indigenous culture, Mexican folklore, and revolutionary ideals. In many ways, they were living embodiments of the spirit of Día de Muertos: proud of their roots, unafraid of death, and deeply engaged with the beauty and pain of existence. By choosing Frida and Diego as central characters in a Día de Muertos setting, the opera not only dramatizes a personal love story but also stages a national dialogue about death, memory, and cultural identity. Their return from beyond is symbolic of how Mexican culture continually reclaims its history and honors its ancestors, not just through private rituals but also through public, artistic expression. Though steeped in traditional themes, El último sueño de Frida y Diego is also a thoroughly contemporary work, addressing modern concerns such as grief, legacy, agency, and the transformative power of art. Frida’s refusal to return initially can be read as a feminist assertion of control — she is not simply summoned by love or nostalgia, but returns on her own terms. This modern perspective breathes new life into the themes of Día de Muertos, showing that tradition is not static but dynamic, capable of evolving while remaining meaningful. The work itself gives voice to the enduring Mexican belief that death is not an end, but a transformation — and that love, memory, and art can transcend even the boundaries of life and death. The opera, itself, is a kind of ofrenda : a gift of remembrance, reflection, and reverence.