This time last week, I was at the Colliseum for ENO's Carmen. To be honest, the reviews I had read were rather dismissive, so my expectations were quite low. I had quite forgotten that critics want performances worthy of years of raving, and bleeding edge production. Me, I want to enjoy myself. And I certainly enjoyed myself! I wrote an instant reaction at rec.music.opera, which I have reproduced in the Extended Entry below.
I would highly recommend Carmen as an opera to go for as a first one. The story is compelling - I currently have Mérimée's novella on my coffee table. The characters are great - Carmen, this wild gypsy woman who seduces Don José, who's basically a Mummy's boy. He deserts from the army, and joins her gang of smugglers/bandits as an outlaw. She bores of him and falls for Escamillo the glamourous toreador. Don José returns home to visit his dying mother, then kills Carmen outside the bullfight.
But best of all is the music. All of it familiar, some of it woven into the very fabric of our culture. There are great opportunities for the director and for actor-singers: when Carmen sings her seguidilla just before Don José is supposed to escort her to jail; also the second act duet between the main protaganists. These were reasonably entertaining but lacked a certain fire. I also totally adore the first act duet between Don José and Micaëla, but I think it was weak in this production.
Just generally, the music is so well written and so catchy, and, last week, I thought the orchestra was splendid, so it was impossible not to be humming it all the way home.
I have three different versions on video or DVD. I would say that if you only want one opera DVD in your entire collection, I would get Carmen, and I would get the film version.
It was tremendous fun! Opera is fun fun
fun!
I think I am now officially an opera old fart, because I swear at the grand
old age of 36, I was in the upper quartile age-wise. There were SO MANY kids
there, full of energy and excitement, which transmitted round the very many
twenty somethings there. There were lots and lots of experienced people,
too. But the adrenalin rush was amazing. The orchestra were fab, and the
singing/acting was good (no better, but good). Unfortunately, Carmen was
very English. And we English can't do sultry seductress. (We think that we
just have to let our bra straps peek out from under our dresses). Don Jose
wasn't lyrical enough in the first act or two, and I suspected he wouldn't
be dramatic enough in Acts 3 and 4, but he grew into the part. Although, I
have been thoroughly spoilt by *The Film*, and was slightly disppoointed
that Don Jose didn't ooze sexuality quite how I would like.
I was absolutely convinced that it was set in Habana Vieja, one of my
favouritest cities in the entire world (all it lacked was the stagnant water
in the potholes). I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not an intellectually
challenging, artistically questioning production, but just tremendous fun,
and I picked up amazing vibes that everyone round me from 6 to 90 thoroughly
enjoyed themselves. Accessible, non-elitist, blahdiblah!
(And the two twelve year olds in front of me were beginning what may turn
out to be a long and beautiful romance - maybe even, ooh, six weeks!)
Carmen was Sara Fulgoni (who, despite the name was very English RP, and her
bio says she trained at RNCM); Don Jose John Hudson, Escamillo was a
wonderfully arrogant Peter Coleman-Wright, and Micaela was Sally Harrison,
who was covering for an indisposed Alison Roddy (and got the customary
enormous cheer for the cover!). Graeme Danby as Zuniga should get a special
mensh, too. His diction was up to RADA standards
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