Richard Hickox – conductor; Kirstin Chavez – Carmen, Don Jose – Rosario La Spina, Escamillo – Michael Todd Simpson, Micaela – Sarah Crane.
Story. See previous blog.
I have seen this opera quite a few times already, but went again as this was the only show that worked out with our schedule during this trip. This also must be the 3rd or 4th opera I have seen at the Opera House, and I never realized that it was so small, seating perhaps (by my estimation) 1500. The seats are quite comfortable, though. We had quite a crowd: Anne, Steven, Ruth, Tim, Alyson, and me.
Carmen is always enjoyable. This was no exception. The staging is not quite as elaborate as the Met production we saw, but was quite substantial nonetheless.
The best singing was put out by Don Jose. He was quite heavy and I worried with all the falling down whether he would have trouble getting up. Turns out he must have practiced quite a bit as he had no trouble at all.
Carmen's voice was not as rich as some other mezzo-sopranos I have heard. And she tended to take things a bit too slowly for my taste. I always wonder if that's the conductor or the singer.
Micaela did quite well though. I think Bizet put in the part to contrast her moral character with those of the other actors. I have never felt that click, and this is no exception.
Escamillo is very athletic, jumping onto and off tables with ease. His entrance was on a (real) horse and his singing was weak and a bit out of tune. I initially attributed it to the fear of animals (who wouldn't be, having to stand on the stirrups.) Eventually I decided his athleticism isn't matched by his singing ability, which is too bad as the toreador's song is one of the best tunes around.
All in all, this was enjoyable, although not as good as it could be. See the Sydney Morning Herald review for a different take on the opera – they are much kinder than me.
No comments:
Post a Comment