Carmen
Carmen by Georges Bizet is often someone’s first opera. The songs are popular, the story exciting, and its full of passion and intrigue. I first saw Carmen back in the days when the Metropolitan Opera toured and the stars were the legendary Risa Stevens and the world famous tenor Richard Tucker. I was hooked and have been enjoying opera ever since. What a great pleasure it was to see and hear Carmen again in the revival production originally created by Emilio Sagi originally created for the Teatro Real in Madrid and first shown in Los Angeles in 1992.
This revival featured fantastic sets by Gerardo Trotti with costumes by Jesus del Pozo and choreography (flamenco) by Nuria Castejon. Javier Ulacia recreated the direction but as often the case with remounts, the direction wasn’t tapered to the new singers and cast so sometimes the chorus looked like they were lost. It didn’t help the outstanding but small-voiced Carmen (Viktoria Vixzin) had to sing her first area upstage. The Don Jose Of tenor Marcus Haddock who has a reputation for singing the role seemed determined to do what I think he always must have done and lacked depth though his singing was outstanding. The conductor was Villaume Villar who led the spirited orchestra. Maestro Villar made the music soar.
What I really loved about the Carmen of Ms. Vizin was her interpretation and acting ability. She is not the firebrand usually associated with the role but rather cool and calculating, rather a feminist who was determined to lead her life in a world dominated by men. She was even quite vulnerable and Ms. Vizin filled all her moments. The other men consisted of Raymond Asceto as Escamillo and Wayne Tigges as Zuniga, Daniel Montenegro as El Dancairo, and Morgan Smith as Morales. Carmen’s two sidekicks were Kerri Marcinko and Kendall Gladden. The singing was of a very high standard especially Raymond Asceto who sung a rousing Toreador Song. Genia Kuhmeir scored as Micaela. Carmen plays on the 22, and 30 of November and December 3rd and 7th, and then with a new cast with Nancy Fabiola Herrera as Carmen, German Villar as Don Jose, and Sabina Cvilak on December 6th, 9th, and 14th. Carmen plays at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center.