Opéra comique in 3 acts
Libretto by Henri Meilhac & Ludovic Halévy
World Premiere March 3 1875, Opéra Comique, Paris
This production first seen, June 5 2016
Sung in French with German & English surtitles
Introductory talks (in German) in the Holzfoyer 30 minutes before curtain up, available here shortly before opening night and everywhere where podcasts can be found.
Conductor Jader Bignamini / Takeshi Moriuchi
Carmen Bianca Andrew / Zanda Švēde
Don José Joseph Calleja / AJ Glueckert / Abraham Bretón
Micaëla Alyona Rostovskaya / Nombulelo Yende
Escamillo Erik van Heyningen / Kihwan Sim
Moralès / Dancaïro Taehan Kim / Mikołaj Trąbka
Remendado Andrew Bidlack
Frasquita Anna Nekhames
Mercédès Ruby Dibble°
Zuniga Aleksander Myrling / Thomas Faulkner
°Member of the Opera Studio
Seville. Moralès and his soldiers look on as men pester Micaëla, who is looking for sergeant Don José. She runs off, saying she'll come back when José's back on duty. The women who work at the cigarette factory are taking a break, surrounded by men. Carmen has the most admirers. Only one man, José, takes no notice of her until she throws him a flower. He's confused and fascinated by her, and pleased when he sees Micaëla again. She, an orphan raised by José's mother, gives him a letter, money and, best of all, a kiss from his mother, which makes him forget seductive Carmen for a moment. Carmen is arrested for injuring one of her colleagues in the factory with a knife. Lieutenant Zuniga orders José to take her to prison. She seduces José with song and promises of love. He helps her escape, and is arrested. Lillas Pastia's tavern. Carmen and her friends Mercédès and Frasquita work with the smugglers Dancaïro and Remendado. Escamillo, winner of the bullfight in Granada, appears. He's strongly attracted to Carmen, who's waiting for José, due to be released from prison that day, the reason she refuses to take part in the next smuggling operation. José arrives at last. While Carmen dances for him, the tattoo's heard. The soldier, conscious of his duty, tells Carmen he must go. She's furious with him and doubts his love. Lieutenant Zuniga suddenly appears. José, driven by jealousy, attacks his superior. Zuniga is disarmed by the smugglers. There's now no turning back for José, he deserts. INTERVAL In the mountains. The smugglers try and transport their wares to Seville under the cover of darkness. José now lives with them and Carmen, who's fed up with his jealousy. The cards prophesy that both will die. When Escamillo, searching for Carmen, meets José they fight a duel, during which Carmen saves Escamillo's life. He invites her and the smugglers to the bullfight in Seville. Micaëla bravely approaches the smugglers to try and persuade José to come home. Only the news that his mother is on her deathbed can move him to follow Micaëla. Outside the bullring. Escamillo enters the arena for the bullfight, cheered by the people. Carmen wants to follow him. José blocks her way. José begs Carmen, for the last time, to follow him and start a new life. She refuses, throwing the ring he gave her to the ground. José stabs her.
She lives in the here and now, one of the best-known heroines in operatic history, she makes sergeant Don José lose his mind, throwing his life into confusion. His attempts to make her tow the line fail because she can’t be tied down. They gradually drive each other into corners. Bizet’s music brings the differences in their perceptions of love and relationships into contrast again and again: Their downfall starts with light-hearted operetta music, but ends in tragedy. Barrie Kosky’s production quickly achieved cult status after it blasted onto the stage in 2015, and has lost none of its impact, taking the most performed opera in the world back to its roots - Opéra comique. The story’s interspersed and told using concise texts, steering us towards its tragic end. En route, romantic, amusing moments and wonderful dance routines share the stage. Kosky’s vision is fascinating, toying masterfully with usual Carmen and Spanish clichés.
