Interview with Composer Diego Sánchez Haase

ICONI Magazine is proud to present an interview conducted by Dr. Edward Green, professor at the Manhattan School of Music, with Maestro Diego Sánchez Haase, the most distinguished musician yet produced by the nation of Paraguay. First and foremost a composer, with works in many different genres, Haase is likewise a major orchestral conductor, and a powerful advocate for the music of Bach. This interview includes discussion of his operas Pancha y Elisa (2018) and Ñomongeta (2019) — each rooted in the history and culture of Paraguay: the latter opera being the fi rst ever to have its libretto in Guarani — the language of its indigenous population. (It is one of the two offi cial languages of Paraguay; the other being Spanish.) In this interview is also substantial discussion of Haaseʼs study of Bach with Helmut Rilling, and of two operas Maestro Haase is currently creating, including one based on the Bibleʼs “Song of Songs.”