If there was a personal pick for the quintessential French opera, it would be Carmen, the story is passion and emotion filled and the music is some of the most memorable and tuneful of any opera. While this Met production directed by Richard Eyre is not one of the best performances of Carmen I've seen(that would be between the 1967 Grace Bumbry/Jon Vickers and 1984 Julia Migenes-Johnson/Placido Domingo films), and it was a slight disappointment after being blown away by Eyre's Le Nozze Di Figaro around six weeks back, but it succeeds much more than it misses and is well worth seeing. The latter two acts are stronger than the first two in this production, Act 1 is a little tentative in places and it takes a bit of time for Carmen and Don Jose's chemistry to properly settle, the set was also on the bare side and the complete opposite of a sunny Seville backdrop. Was mixed on Aleksandrs Antonenko as Don Jose, again like the production he is stronger in the latter two acts than the first two. In Act 1 his acting did come across as stiff and some of his singing while thrilling at the top was lacking in nuance- him singing of his mother in Act 3 was a notable exception though- and showed some choppy phrasing too, this was including the Flower Song too. In the final scene in particular however, he really lets go and really becomes this tormented and broodingly intense character that Don Jose is at the end of the opera(also effective was his realisation that he has been abandoned by Carmen), while his singing becomes more relaxed-sounding and rings out more.
The production is very appropriately lit, especially in Act 3 and in the preludes, while the costumes are handsome and suit the characters well, especially Carmen's. Generally the sets are bare and cold-looking, but Act 3 was very atmospheric actually and the revolving set idea was clever and didn't interrupt the flow of the story(compared to some of the overlong scene changes seen a lot in the series it was the complete opposite). The HD as always is splendid and the video directing allows us to see the drama the whole time and in some places quite intimately, the sound quality is clear so you properly enjoy the full impact of Bizet's music. Eyre's staging is intelligent and succeeds in making the drama as dark and tragic as ever, if more violently than most productions of Carmen. Act 1 makes for a tentative start but the chorus are very well-directed throughout, Act 3's gloomy atmosphere, the wide range of emotions(like in Je Dis Que Rien M'Enpouvente, easily the most heartfelt part of Carmen) and direction of the chorus made it the most successful act dramatically and the final scene is filled with blistering intensity. Most enjoyable also was the choreography, the Act 2 gypsy dance is superb and has rarely been more exciting and the dancing in the preludes is as seductive as it is graceful(Act 3's prelude especially was a perfect marriage of music and dance), not distracting in the slightest.
Musically, the production is outstanding. The orchestra play snappily(ie. the Act 1 prelude) as well as sensitively(ie. Je Dis Que Rien M'Enpouvente), with them the music sounds so lively and rich as it should do. The Act 2 gypsy dance and the Act 1 prelude are most energetically played and the players show no signs of being taxed by the more dramatic moments. The woodwinds are especially noteworthy, the flute solo in the Act 3 being beautifully played for example. The chorus are wonderful, not just in their singing, which sounds beautiful throughout and with great emotional involvement, and their acting has really come on a long way over the years, instead of having over-serious straight lines we have good use of the stage and great personality and awareness of the drama. They are truly excellent in Act 3, a real sense of downtrodden-ness and secrecy. The children are just great, rhythmically they're remarkably together and their tuning is very good sometimes sounding like one(a lot of the time that's unheard of in a children's chorus!), their acting very energetic and involved. You do have Pablo Heras-Casado's vigorous but also attentive conducting to thank, the orchestra and singers weren't quite together in the Act 2 quintet(it sounded like the singers were caught by surprise by the tempo) but everywhere else was flawless. While Antonenko was a little inconsistent to me, the rest of the performances were fine.
Standing out was Anita Hartig's Micaela, for a notoriously passive character that's quite a feat and it's very rare for Micaela to steal the show and be like a breath of fresh air in such a dark drama. Hartig, whose Je Dis Que Rien M'Enpouvente was the highlight of the night for me, was incredibly moving in the role and sings with much silvery purity and radiance. Ildar Abdrazakov makes for a very charismatic Toreador in Escamillo, making one sit up and pay attention, and he sings with his usual darkly attractive bass-baritone bass voice that is as easy at the top as it is at the bottom. Anita Rachvelishvili looks the part of Carmen, with her dark hair and voluptuous(in a good way) figure she really does turn heads, dramatically she's smouldering and feisty and her singing has a striking plush darkness. Keith Miller gives one of the better interpretations of Zuniga I've seen(especially towards the end of Act 2), Kiri Deonarine is a sparkling Frasquita and Jennifer Johnson-Cano is a sumptuously-toned Mercedes, blending beautifully with Deonarine. Overall, mostly successful but could have been more. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox
The production is very appropriately lit, especially in Act 3 and in the preludes, while the costumes are handsome and suit the characters well, especially Carmen's. Generally the sets are bare and cold-looking, but Act 3 was very atmospheric actually and the revolving set idea was clever and didn't interrupt the flow of the story(compared to some of the overlong scene changes seen a lot in the series it was the complete opposite). The HD as always is splendid and the video directing allows us to see the drama the whole time and in some places quite intimately, the sound quality is clear so you properly enjoy the full impact of Bizet's music. Eyre's staging is intelligent and succeeds in making the drama as dark and tragic as ever, if more violently than most productions of Carmen. Act 1 makes for a tentative start but the chorus are very well-directed throughout, Act 3's gloomy atmosphere, the wide range of emotions(like in Je Dis Que Rien M'Enpouvente, easily the most heartfelt part of Carmen) and direction of the chorus made it the most successful act dramatically and the final scene is filled with blistering intensity. Most enjoyable also was the choreography, the Act 2 gypsy dance is superb and has rarely been more exciting and the dancing in the preludes is as seductive as it is graceful(Act 3's prelude especially was a perfect marriage of music and dance), not distracting in the slightest.
Musically, the production is outstanding. The orchestra play snappily(ie. the Act 1 prelude) as well as sensitively(ie. Je Dis Que Rien M'Enpouvente), with them the music sounds so lively and rich as it should do. The Act 2 gypsy dance and the Act 1 prelude are most energetically played and the players show no signs of being taxed by the more dramatic moments. The woodwinds are especially noteworthy, the flute solo in the Act 3 being beautifully played for example. The chorus are wonderful, not just in their singing, which sounds beautiful throughout and with great emotional involvement, and their acting has really come on a long way over the years, instead of having over-serious straight lines we have good use of the stage and great personality and awareness of the drama. They are truly excellent in Act 3, a real sense of downtrodden-ness and secrecy. The children are just great, rhythmically they're remarkably together and their tuning is very good sometimes sounding like one(a lot of the time that's unheard of in a children's chorus!), their acting very energetic and involved. You do have Pablo Heras-Casado's vigorous but also attentive conducting to thank, the orchestra and singers weren't quite together in the Act 2 quintet(it sounded like the singers were caught by surprise by the tempo) but everywhere else was flawless. While Antonenko was a little inconsistent to me, the rest of the performances were fine.
Standing out was Anita Hartig's Micaela, for a notoriously passive character that's quite a feat and it's very rare for Micaela to steal the show and be like a breath of fresh air in such a dark drama. Hartig, whose Je Dis Que Rien M'Enpouvente was the highlight of the night for me, was incredibly moving in the role and sings with much silvery purity and radiance. Ildar Abdrazakov makes for a very charismatic Toreador in Escamillo, making one sit up and pay attention, and he sings with his usual darkly attractive bass-baritone bass voice that is as easy at the top as it is at the bottom. Anita Rachvelishvili looks the part of Carmen, with her dark hair and voluptuous(in a good way) figure she really does turn heads, dramatically she's smouldering and feisty and her singing has a striking plush darkness. Keith Miller gives one of the better interpretations of Zuniga I've seen(especially towards the end of Act 2), Kiri Deonarine is a sparkling Frasquita and Jennifer Johnson-Cano is a sumptuously-toned Mercedes, blending beautifully with Deonarine. Overall, mostly successful but could have been more. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox
