Damian and I had a wonderful time seeing "Carmen" last night at the Metropolitan Opera -- located just blocks from our new(ish) digs. You don't need to be particularly knowledgeable about the art form to recognize that Aigul Akhmetshina, a 27-year-old mezzo-soprano, is sublime as the titular character. That Kyle Ketelsen has what it takes to play one-third of the tumultuous love triangle. Or that the Georges Bizet's score is legendary for a reason. (I love realizing so many things I know are actually from classic works of art.)
Director Carrie Cracknell is said to have wanted to give the show a modern take, setting it in present-day United States. But simply trading in castanets for cutoffs, as Zachary Woolfe's brutal review put it, in depressing locales really only served to rob "Carmen" of its splendid visuals -- the Spanish background of Seville and the surrounding hills, women in flamenco skirts and men in dashing Matador attire. (What we were left with was a cast taking selfies in Walmart jorts and trucker caps in places I actively try to avoid.) Still, not even an ill-conceived twist can take away from this masterpiece, the plot of which sadly remains the gold standard of "Dateline" storylines to this day.
P.S.
Oh, to have witnessed diva-turned-director Regina Resnik's production of "Carmen" at the Hamburg State Opera starring Huguette Tourangeau and Placido Domingo, who got canceled days before we were set to see him in Verdi's "Macbeth" back in 2019! Watch a riveting behind-the-scenes documentary from 1973 HERE.
2 comments:
Minnesota Opera did a production, they've since retired, which was set in Franco's Spain. At the end, Carmen is killed when her throat is slashed and her blood is spread on the white wall behind her. It was electrifying! The same year, another local theater, now defunct, covered their stage in red clay and did a production that was also electrifying. I don't ever need to see Carmen again because of these two productions.
Now go see the Zeffirelli La Boheme and his Turandot at the Met. They are glorious!!
I hate it when they try to make classic pieces more "relevant" by placing it in modern times. A large part of the experience are the beautiful sets and costumes.
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