Watching the Live in HD Metropolitan Opera cinema broadcasts has always been a fascinating and mostly worthwhile experience for me. Some productions are better than others, most ranging from decent to great, with a fair share of superb productions but also some disappointments. There has always been the thrill of feeling like you are there at the Met yourself, that's how authentic the impact is, except you are actually seeing the production for a much cheaper price and in a more accessible location.
If there was a personal pick for the quintessential French opera, it would be 'Carmen' (an opera that broke opera conventions at the time met with much shock from audiences), the story is passion and emotion filled and the music is some of the most memorable and tuneful of any opera. Season 13 so far mostly has been a solid one, although 'Samson et Dalila' and 'Marnie' (part of the problem was the opera itself) disappointed 'La Traviata' was uneven but good, 'Aida' was very good and 'La Fanciulla Del West' and particularly 'Adriana Lecouvreur' were wonderful. 'Carmen', another revival of the Richard Eyre production transmitted to cinemas twice before since premiering in 2009, is also very good, though not one of my favourite productions of Carmen (the 1967 Grace Bumbry/Jon Vickers and 1983/4 Julia Migenes-Johnson/Placido Domingo films). Not perfect but hits far more than it misses.
Although the Spanish civil war updated setting has grown on me a little as there is a tension and authenticity (in context of the setting and the numerous character conflicts) obvious throughout, the set for my tastes still looks rather drab and bare. Anybody wanting or expecting a sunny Seville backdrop will find themselves sorely disappointed. Also still think that Act 1 comes over as a little tentative, it takes a while to find its rhythm and the character relationships don't feel as settled as they could have been.
Despite a rich and firm voice and a nice authority, Alexander Vinogradov seemed rather on the restrained side dramatically as Escamillo. Usually associate the Toreador song especially as having a lot of swagger and bravado, but there wasn't quite enough of that in Vinogradov's rendition although he does sing it well. The very end of the production, or the final image, was a touch over-stated and laid the blatantly obvious on too thick.
However, there is such a lot to like here. 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 in some productions it was the complete opposite). The HD as always is splendid, the performers all looking natural which is important when there is nowhere to hide, 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 Ne 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, there is hardly anything to complain about. The orchestra play snappily (ie. the Act 1 prelude) as well as sensitively (ie. "Je Dis Que Rien Ne 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. Louis Langrée's conducting has a lot to thank, it brims with confidence from start to finish, there is less of the catch-everybody-by-surprise-tempo-feel in the Act 2 quintet for instance, and it is full of vigour and attentiveness in both the lyric and dramatic passages.
Reservations with Vinogradov aside, the performances are terrific. On a side note, the spoken dialogue is delivered with momentum and doesn't bog down the pace at all. Clémentine Margaine is utterly transfixing in the title role, oozing sensuality and passion without over-doing either, she is actually a remarkably nuanced Carmen. Her voice is rich and sumptuous with some sly, almost seductive phrasing in both the "Habanera" and "Seguidilla". Roberto Alagna smoulders as Don Jose and is in infinitely better voice than he was as Samson earlier on in the season (that was not a good night for him), there is little strain here and he even manages some tenderness, including singing a lovely soft floating high B flat in "La Fleur Que Tu M'avais Jetee" and that is not an easy picnic technically. He is a passionate and ardent lover, his torment intensifying throughout the opera very believably, and when Carmen and Don Jose's chemistry settles (which it does quickly) the interplay has real power, especially in the blistering final scene where Alagna practically lets rip in a thrilling fashion. His chemistry with real life wife Aleksandra Kurzak is every bit as good, perhaps even better, with a poignant first act duet. Kurzak is a production highlight, yet another Micaela to make a notoriously passive character in opera into the character that one feels the most for. This is particularly apparent in the emotionally devastating "Je Dis Que Rien Ne M'Epouvente", one of the most truly emotional moments felt since following and watching the Metropolitan Opera HD Live series. The supporting roles are very well filled, namely Zuniga, Frasquita and Mercedes.
Overall, truly impressive production of 'Carmen' that just falls short of overall greatness, despite being filled with many moments of it. 8/10 Bethany Cox
If there was a personal pick for the quintessential French opera, it would be 'Carmen' (an opera that broke opera conventions at the time met with much shock from audiences), the story is passion and emotion filled and the music is some of the most memorable and tuneful of any opera. Season 13 so far mostly has been a solid one, although 'Samson et Dalila' and 'Marnie' (part of the problem was the opera itself) disappointed 'La Traviata' was uneven but good, 'Aida' was very good and 'La Fanciulla Del West' and particularly 'Adriana Lecouvreur' were wonderful. 'Carmen', another revival of the Richard Eyre production transmitted to cinemas twice before since premiering in 2009, is also very good, though not one of my favourite productions of Carmen (the 1967 Grace Bumbry/Jon Vickers and 1983/4 Julia Migenes-Johnson/Placido Domingo films). Not perfect but hits far more than it misses.
Although the Spanish civil war updated setting has grown on me a little as there is a tension and authenticity (in context of the setting and the numerous character conflicts) obvious throughout, the set for my tastes still looks rather drab and bare. Anybody wanting or expecting a sunny Seville backdrop will find themselves sorely disappointed. Also still think that Act 1 comes over as a little tentative, it takes a while to find its rhythm and the character relationships don't feel as settled as they could have been.
Despite a rich and firm voice and a nice authority, Alexander Vinogradov seemed rather on the restrained side dramatically as Escamillo. Usually associate the Toreador song especially as having a lot of swagger and bravado, but there wasn't quite enough of that in Vinogradov's rendition although he does sing it well. The very end of the production, or the final image, was a touch over-stated and laid the blatantly obvious on too thick.
However, there is such a lot to like here. 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 in some productions it was the complete opposite). The HD as always is splendid, the performers all looking natural which is important when there is nowhere to hide, 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 Ne 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, there is hardly anything to complain about. The orchestra play snappily (ie. the Act 1 prelude) as well as sensitively (ie. "Je Dis Que Rien Ne 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. Louis Langrée's conducting has a lot to thank, it brims with confidence from start to finish, there is less of the catch-everybody-by-surprise-tempo-feel in the Act 2 quintet for instance, and it is full of vigour and attentiveness in both the lyric and dramatic passages.
Reservations with Vinogradov aside, the performances are terrific. On a side note, the spoken dialogue is delivered with momentum and doesn't bog down the pace at all. Clémentine Margaine is utterly transfixing in the title role, oozing sensuality and passion without over-doing either, she is actually a remarkably nuanced Carmen. Her voice is rich and sumptuous with some sly, almost seductive phrasing in both the "Habanera" and "Seguidilla". Roberto Alagna smoulders as Don Jose and is in infinitely better voice than he was as Samson earlier on in the season (that was not a good night for him), there is little strain here and he even manages some tenderness, including singing a lovely soft floating high B flat in "La Fleur Que Tu M'avais Jetee" and that is not an easy picnic technically. He is a passionate and ardent lover, his torment intensifying throughout the opera very believably, and when Carmen and Don Jose's chemistry settles (which it does quickly) the interplay has real power, especially in the blistering final scene where Alagna practically lets rip in a thrilling fashion. His chemistry with real life wife Aleksandra Kurzak is every bit as good, perhaps even better, with a poignant first act duet. Kurzak is a production highlight, yet another Micaela to make a notoriously passive character in opera into the character that one feels the most for. This is particularly apparent in the emotionally devastating "Je Dis Que Rien Ne M'Epouvente", one of the most truly emotional moments felt since following and watching the Metropolitan Opera HD Live series. The supporting roles are very well filled, namely Zuniga, Frasquita and Mercedes.
Overall, truly impressive production of 'Carmen' that just falls short of overall greatness, despite being filled with many moments of it. 8/10 Bethany Cox
