Georges Bizet’s Carmen is a much loved and highly emotive tale, whose score is so recognisable that it transcends the opera itself - with popular arias such as the Habanera and theTorreador which are firmly rooted in societies collective consciousness. Bizet’s seminal piece is the second most performed work in The Royal Opera’s repertoire. First staged in 2006, Francesca Zambello’s version of Carmen is currently being revived for the sixth time. Anita Rachvelishvili reprises her role as the wild and fiery Carmen, a gypsy whose sensual and seductive nature entrances all that meet her. Solider Don José (Roberto Alagna), is instantly spellbound by her charms and consumed by passion.Willing to sacrifice his freedom, rank and ultimately his dignity in his quest to capture Carmen’s unobtainable heart.
Although performed in French, (with English translations projected on a screen suspended from the proscenium arch), the cultural heart of Carmen is undisputedly Spanish. Andalusia is instantly evoked by the terracotta walls, and the small orange tree positioned centre stage. Seville’s strong cultural identity is intensified when the rowdy Gypsies burst onto the stage, as a argument between Carmen and her fellow tobacco factory worker spills out into the main plaza. Upon being arrested, Carmen tricks Don José into setting her free, and thus establishing the reoccurring motif of Carmen manipulating the besotted solider’s emotions for her own personal gain. Personally, I found the transition from Act I and Act II slow and cumbersome. However, once the stage had finally been transformed into Lillas Pastia’s traditional Spanish tavern, the joie de vivre created by their rapid flamenco footwork coupled with the inclusion of castanets and tambourines in the accompaniment was truly infectious. Zambello’s production transported us from a soggy evening in Covent Garden to Spanish style fiesta.
Don José's main rival for Carmen’s affections is Escamillo (Vito Priante), a bullfighter whose entrance on horseback exerts his macho and self assured persona. Pirante’s character provides an excellent foil for the feeble and mild mannered Don José As you would expect from any production performed by The Royal Opera, the calibre of their voices is superb. Personally I found Rachvelishvili’s soaring range and vibrato an absolute pleasure to listen to. That said, with regards to her embodiment of Carmen as a character I found her overtly provocative and sultry. Although she displayed glimmers of vulnerability during their tarot card reading scene, for me Carmen’s enigmatic nature which is so prevalent in Prosper Mérimée’s original novella was somewhat lost in Rachvelishvili’s performance.
With a strong cast comprising of over 50 (plus a few more if you count the live donkey and horse) on stage for the bullfight in Act IV creates a real sense of believable commotion. The most memorable image, that will stay with me from Zambello’s Carmen are the final moments of the piece - when the aforementioned hustle and bustle of people leave, and the emptiness on stage is filled only by Don José's final desperate pleas as he begs Carmen to reciprocate his love. Zambello’s version of Carmen stays very true to the original work, and in my opinion wisely so, as I believe that any attempt at altering a classic such as Carmen would be entering extremely dangerous territory.
Although, Carmen may meet a tragic end, the gypsy created by Mérimée and immortalised by Bizet lives on in our minds as the archetypal femme fatale.
Carmen is being performed at The Royal Opera House until January 9th for tickets and more information please visit http://www.roh.org.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment