“Carmen” is unquestionably one of the most popular works ever composed and has become an almost permanent fixture in the repertoire of opera houses. However, this presents something of a dilemma for those creative artists and directors who desire to produce the opera in a more contemporary setting and feel compelled to encompass new elements that will somehow enhance it, while bringing themselves acclaim and notoriety in the process. This year’s Metropolitan Opera staging received an overwhelming amount of reviews, that included opinions about a “misguided modernization.
” I reviewed Damiano Michieletto ’s staging at the Royal Opera House, and wrote about how his staging “ failed on many levels ”. While it is a universally popular opera, “Carmen” has churned out an infinite number of widely accepted failures over recent years. However, there were no such qualms surrounding award-winning Broadway director Diane Paulus’s efforts in the sleepy Sussex Countryside at Glyndebourne.
Paulus and the Glyndebourne team conjured up the perfect cast ensemble, along with a vibrant and dynamic visual spectacular to accompany the auditory triumph. From the stark, oppressive gulag-like setting of Act one, where the factory girls are incarcerated, guarded and cajoled by leering soldiers; to the swanky, somewhat sleazy nightclub of Act two; to the convincing looking remote, mountain pass staging of Act three, complete with the walls and exterior of the bull ring in the fina.