%0 Journal Article %A Pascual, Carles Vicent %A Besada Portas, José Luis %T Putting Ego aside in new opera: on the co-creative dynamics around "Je suis narcissiste" %D 2023 %@ 0040-2982 %U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/107135 %X The world of opera is well known as a professional community in which egos often clash, yet the complexity of the operatic artwork is often heavily dependent on collaborative practice. This article discusses the co-creative dynamics that gave rise to the premiere production of the comic opera "Je suis narcissiste", by composer Raquel García-Tomás, librettist Helena Tornero and stage director Marta Pazos. Through a series of interviews with this artistic team, and a scrutiny of the libretto, score and documentary video recording of its premiere, three significant features of this collaboration are flagged, particularly in Act VIII. These are: a quest for balance in the convergence of the disciplines involved; a mitigation of undesired redundancies in the representation of some elements in the action of the opera; a consideration of the capacity of the human and material resources available for the premiere. The article will also discuss how these anticipatory strategies helped to optimise time during rehearsals. %~