La Gran Via is a zarzuela a form of comic operetta popular in Spain and the Spanish-speaking world throughout the 1700s and 1800s. Written and first performed in 1886 it was a collaboration between two of the most successful Spanish composers of the genre: Federico Chueca (1846-1908) and Joaquin Valverde (1846-1910) both of whom were born in Madrid and studied at the conservatory there. The libretto was written by the writer and humourist Felipe Perez (1854-1910) and focusses on the redesign of Madrid that was conceived many times during the 19th century. Most of the carachters are named after streets some of whichhave been slated for demolition and some of which are planned but are yet to be built. The script was changed several times in order to keep the material topical. La Gran Via has been arranged for Voice with Piano accompaniment.
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