Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, it’s fingerlickin’ good! If you ask what’s for dinner, are you ever disenchanted to listen to fried hen as the reply? After diminishing crowds for a few years (like virtually each different opera firm within the US, beginning with COVID), Virginia Opera revamped this season’s schedule to have broader attraction, and judging by the dimensions of yesterday’s Sunday matinee crowd, it seems to be working. Carmen is among the prime 5 hottest operas of all time. To make good on their funding, VO turned the reigns over to veteran director Kyle Lang for a traditional manufacturing and introduced in budding star mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali to play the sassy, attractive lead in addition to a bevy of proficient younger performers to encompass her. It labored. VO’s Carmen is a satisfying, completely satisfying manufacturing of a perennial favourite.
Carmen (Lisa Marie Rogali), all the time the focus. Photograph by Dave Pearson Pictures; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Carmen premiered in 1875 and was not effectively obtained in Paris; initially, the music was favored, however the story was considered as too vulgar for well mannered society. Sadly, composer Bizet died from coronary heart illness on the age of 36 throughout Carmen’s preliminary run, and he by no means knew of the success he had created. I bear in mind my son saying to me on his first viewing of Carmen that it had too many hit tunes to be an opera. On condition that Carmen incorporates some spoken dialog, it in all probability technically qualifies as a musical, although the vocals are totally operatic. Bizet did have a rare present for nice tunes. Anybody who has watched tv or is a fan of the films has heard a minimum of excerpts of music from Carmen.
I took a threat on this efficiency. I invited our granddaughter to go together with us as her first opera, with out getting ready her for the story. She mentioned afterwards she was glad we had not. So, be forewarned:
Spoilers forward –
After the efficiency, our son requested me if I favored Carmen and Don José. How may you not like the feminine and male leads? Properly, if you happen to simply noticed Washington Nationwide Opera’s Macbeth, how’d that work out? Carmen is one other tragedy brewing. It’s difficult. Initially a minimum of, I favored the pair of lovers. She was spirited and lived life her means, cherishing her freedom, defiant, unwilling to be cowed. He appeared like a pleasant man, attempting to be a very good soldier. Within the well-known aria “Habanera” she warns males normally, “I’d love you. If I do, beware!” He fails to see that as a severe warning. She fails to learn Don José correctly, the great man with a hidden, explosive mood and an ego through which she turns into tragically enmeshed. Carmen causes him to desert his soldiering and to show from Micaëla, a younger lady from his village who actually loves him; Carmen additionally leads Don José into a lifetime of crime. She then shifts her affection to the good-looking, daring bullfighter, Escamillo, and having sufficient of Don José’s jealousy, she lastly abandons him for Escamillo. Don José confronts her exterior the bullfighting stadium in a single final try to get her again and failing that, kills her. So, do I like the 2 lead characters? For opera, it is dependent upon who’s singing the roles.
Officer Zuniga (Jeremy Harr) seeks to attract Carmen (Lisa Marie Rogali) to him whereas a jealous Don José (Zach Borichevsky) appears on. Photograph by Dave Pearson Pictures; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
On this manufacturing, I favored Carmen and Don José so much. Carmen is among the coveted lead roles for a mezzo-soprano, and if you wish to know what a mezzo-soprano is and what she will be able to do, go hear this efficiency. The younger, multi-award winner, Lisa Marie Rogali has an attractive instrument, beautiful lows that may soar thrillingly into the soprano vary. I felt that her wonderful appearing expertise, honed in musicals such because the Sound of Music in addition to operas, allowed her to not solely hit the notes, however to play with them in a seductive method like a Carmen would possibly do. I used to be captivated. How do you resolve an issue like Maria…er Carmen? At first, I believed Don José performed by worldwide star tenor Zach Borichevsky was too weak a presence to play the half, however like Carmen, I didn’t learn him appropriately. Mr. Borichevsky has a high-pitched tenor voice that’s fantastically expressive in love and anger. Their duets have been beautiful, and over the course of the efficiency, even I grew to become afraid of him. Soprano Sarah Tucker sang the function of Micaëla with a sympathetic gentleness. Her beautiful rendition of the aria expressing her concern as she ventured into the mountain hideout to make one final try to redeem Don José was a spotlight. Baritone Rolfe Dauz sang the function of the bullfighter Escamillo with swagger in a dashing method and gave us a very good “Toreador Music”.
The dashing bull fighter Escamillo (Rolfe Dauz) attracts admiring glances from the females within the tavern. Photograph by Dave Pearson Pictures; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
The supporting solid added admirably to the drama and singing; I’ll point out a number of. The duet between Carmen’s girlfriends Frasquita performed by soprano Chase Sanders and Mercédès performed by mezzo-soprano Aria Minasianusing, utilizing fortune telling playing cards to foreshadow their future, was an amusing delight that turns darkish, very darkish. Bass Jeremy Harr, who has appeared a number of instances in native productions, was a dislikable, boastful officer Zuniga who incurs Don José’s rage along with his makes an attempt to seduce Carmen.
One spotlight of Carmen is all the time Bizet’s incredible music, so melodic and pleasing, so many take residence, hummable tunes. The music was delivered with zest and nice magnificence by the Virginia Symphony beneath the route of Affiliate Conductor Brandon Eldredge; bravi! I beloved the musical interludes between acts that includes solo devices enjoying temper setting toe tapping melodies, then meshing with the total orchestra to create a lush sound. No marvel that is such a preferred opera. Mr. Eldredge can also be the Refrain Grasp for Virginia Opera and the singing of the refrain and their engagement within the motion on stage was attractive. Kudos to all.
Carmen’s (Lisa Marie Rogali) attract begins to take management of Don José (Zach Borichevsky). Photograph by Dave Pearson Pictures; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
The set, costumes, and lighting for this traditional manufacturing going down in early nineteenth century Seville have been pleasing and efficient; kudos to Scenic Designer Steven C. Kemp, Costume Designer Howard Kaplan, Wigs and Make-up Designer Elyse Messick, and Lighting Designer Driscoll Otto. The motion general was effectively paced and the motivations of the characters was clear. There have been lots of people on stage for a number of of the scenes with the solo characters and refrain members serving as townspeople, troopers, and outlaws. At first, I believed the motion on stage appeared slightly too programmed, however quickly all the things took on a pure movement. Particular kudos to Director Lang for a extremely efficient denouement, the ultimate scene. I felt concern and foreboding as the group exterior the bullring stadium slowly dissipated, leaving Carmen alone with Don José. Properly carried out, throughout.
As an opera going veteran, I discovered this a extremely pleasurable Carmen. How did my granddaughter like her first opera? Afterwards she mentioned it was nice; it glided by so rapidly, and she or he appears able to tackle one other one. She was impressed by the energy of the voices and was glad I had not warned her concerning the ending. Whew!
The Fan Expertise: Virginia Opera scheduled performances for Carmen on November 8, 10 in Norfolk; on November 16, 17 in Fairfax; and on November 22, 24 in Richmond. The opera is sung in French with English supertitles. The efficiency lasted about 2 hours and 45 minutes with a 25-minute intermission. An informative pre-opera speak is given 45 min prior to every efficiency. Tickets for remaining performances may be accessed by means of this hyperlink.
I’m compelled so as to add this be aware: in case you are an endangered partner or girlfriend, search assist. My mom was a sufferer of deadly home violence after I was a baby. Home violence stays a major problem within the U.S. at the moment.
