Georges Bizet
Carmen
Director: Philippe Arlaud
Opera is sung in French with Slovenian subtitles.
Bizet's most successful creation – opera Carmen, written between 1873 and 1874 – is a musical depiction of an (in)famous story of a seductive gypsy girl. The content is actually based on a folk drama of unbridled passion, which is many ways reminiscent of the Latin soap operas and crime thrillers. The opera unfolds the story of a frivolous woman, for whom love is just a sheer entertainment, causing the collapse (whether intentionally or unintentionally) of many men. The protagonist seduces the naive corporal Don José, who cannot resist her, demanding that he ignores his superior officers and his duties in the army. In spite of the loud call of conscience, which is musically embodied by the character Micaëla (a loyal girl from his neighbourhood), Don José finally deserts from the army, and joins a group of smugglers and crooks – Carmen’s companions. The young lovers' happiness is short-lived, as Carmen soon falls in love with an attractive toreador Escamillo, leaving José. The latter loses his mind and is seeking for revenge. Opera Carmen is Bizet’s unique work, in which he managed to combine the genre of opéra comique with the realism of everyday life in the most convincing mode before Italian verismo. A tragic story and the characters are well formed, and the music’s originality derives from the genuine (im)pulse of the Spanish gypsy rhythms and melodies, which are reminiscent of naturalistic environment. Opera Carmen received a cold and indifferent response at the premiere in March 1875 in Paris, which could be mainly attributed to excessive provocativeness and instigated passion of certain scenes. Nevertheless, the opera was staged no less than thirty-three times in the same year, which was also the year of composer's death, which occurred just three months after the premiere. Even today, Carmen remains one of the most popular operas ever written, primarily because of the extremely catchy melodic inventions and brilliant orchestration, which persuasively summarizes the emotional state of the characters and passionate spirit of Spanish environment.
Cast
Conductor: Loris Voltolini
Carmen - Guadalupe BarrientosDon José - Aljaž Farasin
Micaëla - Andreja Zakonjšek Krt
Escamillo - Jože Vidic
Frasquita - Valentina Čuden
Mercédès - Amanda Stojović
Dancaïro - Jaki Jurgec
Remendado - Dušan Topolovec
Zuniga - Valentin Pivovarov
Moralès - Sebastijan Čelofiga
Lillas Pastia - Bojan Hinteregger
Libretto Henri Meilhac, Ludovic Halévy, after novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée
Costumes Andrea Uhmann
Choreographer Elodie Vella
Assistant to Stage Director Grégoire Letouvet
