Located about 500 kilometers south of Santiago, Chile's capital, Chillán has been from its foundation in the 1500's the heart of Chile's rich agricultural region. Throughout its history, the town has been devastated a few times by earthquakes; the last, in 1938, left over 30,000 dead and mobilized international help. Chile's national hero, Bernardo O'Higgins, was born in Chillán in 1788. He was the son of Ambrosio (1720-1801) who was Governor of Chile for the Spanish crown and later Viceroy of Perú. Bernardo was the force behind Chile's Independence from Spain. He was elected Director Supremo and declared Independence after the Battle of Chacabuco against the Spaniards (1810). His later victory at the Maipo battlefield cemented the country's freedom. He died in exile in Perú in 1848. Besides Arrau, Chillán has offered other great artists to the world. Among them, Ramón Vinay, the tenor who was "the" Otello of the 50's. His recording of the role with Toscanini is a perennial classic. He was a regular at the NY Metropolitan, where he sang both tenor and baritone roles. One of his last performances at this house was as the Barber of Seville's Basilio, a bass role! He retired from the stage in 1969, in a performance of Otello at Santiago's Teatro Municipal.Coincidentally, another tenor from Chillán made his debut in the same performance, as Cassio: Germán Bustos, active in U.S. stages during the 70's. He also appeared in European and South and Central American opera seasons. Other "chillanejos" are also part of Chile's best artistic and literary traditions: Marta Brunet, a writer; Marta Colvin, a sculptress; Pacheco Altamirano, a painter, and numerous others who, however, did not reach the international acclaim achieved by Arrau and Vinay. A "sotto voce" tradition of a unique earth phenomenon has been adduced to explain the presence of so many artists from the same region. A circle of a few hundred kilometers centered in Chillán would include numerous other artists and writers, foremost among them Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda, both Nobel Prizes (1946 and 1970, respectively). In the Indian language of the region, "Chillán" means "where the Sun is sitting". Perhaps a premonition of all of the above.
