“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 final act. Scenic designer Riccardo Hernández conjures up a veritable feast for the eyes with marvelously convincing sets and realistic backdrops.
Moreover, Malcolm Rippeth ’s lighting makes a major contribution in creating the astonishing energy, drive and heightened drama that accentuated this performance throughout. Stellar Performance by Aigul Akhmetshina The one thing in common with the aforementioned subpar performances at the Met and the ROH, is its Carmen. Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina performs this role to unanimous acclaim.
She is also the youngest ever to sing the role at both the Met and the ROH. Whether the special Glyndebourne acoustics were at play, I cannot say, but she sounded more secure, pronounced and potent than I have previously heard her before. Additionally, she seems to have elevated her theatrical skills to new levels.
Whether sprawling seductively across the bonnet of the guard’s car, gyrating a dance to capture her lover or fighting for her very life at the hands of her rejected lover, she embodies an alarming sense of naturalness and authenticity. In the final act when she is alone, having been informed that the jealous Don Jose was present and no doubt looking for her, Akhmetshina’s sense of fear, consternation and impending doom were almost palpable, her countenance cogent. Even in the crowd scenes, where she was not the main focus, she maintained absolute attention to detail, never relaxing her character for an instant.
She was vocally magnificent and alluringly emotive in her lower register with a resounding top. She possesses a remarkable instrument that, once she further develops and allows to diversify in terms of timbre and color, I believe will further cement her position as a world leading mezzo. Her “Habanera” and “Seguidilla” were assured, enticingly playful and accomplished.
But on the night of the performance, her most evocative singing was reserved for the card aria, “En vain pour éviter”. In this she adopted beautiful, contemplative nuances that enhanced her already replete vocal armory and permitted a touching vulnerability that contrasted starkly with the cocksure confidence she otherwise projects pretty much throughout. Illuminating Cast Her lover, and ultimately her destructor, Don Jose is portrayed here by American tenor Evan Leroy Johnson .
Johnson has a strong stage presence and, more importantly, a big voice. He has rich, clarion color throughout his middle and pleasing squillo at the top. His signature aria, “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” was not the most impressive of his moments.
NOT because of any vocal deficiencies, but because the orchestra appeared to gather undue pace here and removed any possibility to infuse the aria with any legato or tempo variations. His interactions with his childhood sweetheart, Micaëla, in the first act, were superb where they sang a wonderful duet that developed into a meltingly gorgeous mezza. His anguish, anger and despair were almost tangible in his heated moments with Carmen, and the final scenes of Act four were alarmingly impactive, displaying his penchant for dramatic acting to perfection.
In the second act when on his approach to the Lillas Pastia’s club where he sings, “ Halte là !Qui va là ?”, his voice carried mesmerizingly from the distance until he arrived on stage where his utterances positively rebounded off every surface of the auditorium. Johnson is a fine tenor whom I very much look forward to hearing in the future, and for whom I predict big things. Micaëla was sung by American soprano Janai Brugger .
Vocally majestic, she has a wonderful talent of painting her lyric soprano with beautiful shade and expressiveness, especially when supressing or covering in the upper register. Her demeanor while interacting with Jose, her childhood crush, was supremely endearing, not to mention entirely credible. This part is often sung with a character denoting diffidence or even awkward, almost childish reticence, but Brugger manages to portray this role with enchantment, dignified hope and, ultimately with resolute strength .
Polish bass-baritone Łukasz Goliński gets to ham it up as the toreador, Escamillo. Charming and charismatic, he has none of the cheesy, egotistical machismo that befalls so many in this role. Instead, he delivers an engaging and amiable Alpha male.
His signature aria was proficient and his ebullience supreme as he stood on Pastia’s club table. He shone most in his interactions with Jose at the campsite in Act three where he was not only vocally adept, his resonance finding effect and power here, but sufficiently engaging and disarming as to almost win over in the hero stakes with his love rival. More Cast Highlights Special mention is also due to Carmen’s lifelong compatriots and partners in crime, Frasquita and Mercédès.
The former, sung by Canadian soprano Elisabeth Boudreault , the latter by British born mezzo-soprano Kezia Bienek . Boudreault, tiny in stature, HUGE in persona and talent, performed with remarkable beauty and a vocal range that was hugely animated throughout. Her comedic antics and athleticism in her “Melons! Coupons!” with Mercédès was a highlight of the evening.
Described as an “Emerging Canadian soprano”, on this showing she has truly emerged and is a force to be reckoned with. Kezia Bienek, as Mercédès, proving that whilst the whole may well be greater than the sum of its parts, sometimes the parts are no less great. Radiant in voice and charisma, she positively shone and was a standout in all her scenes.
With a rich, mellifluous mezzo, she has sung the role of Carmen at Opera Holland Park to great acclaim, and it surely can’t be long before she commands more substantial leading roles. Bass-baritone Dingle Yandell scored very highly on this outing in his role as Zuniga, the Captain of Don Jose’s platoon. Suitably malevolent, he sang with expressive authority, yet with pleasing resonance, particularly in the second act during his interactions at the club with Carmen and Jose.
Equally impressive was the remarkably young but supremely gifted British baritone Thomas Mole as Moralès, an officer of the dragoons. He sets the scene at the beginning of the opera, patrolling the stage with swagger and defining the characteristics of himself and his fellow soldiers. He has a superbly rich, sonorous voice that belies its age, and he must surely be another artist in this ensemble, destined for great things.
Le Dancaïre, leader of the smuggling gang, sung by Guyanese tenor Loïc Félix and his sidekick Le Remendado, performed by Swiss tenor François Piolino , complete the principal cast. Both men bounce well off each other, at times creating an almost music hall comedic flavor, dramatically entertaining and often stentorian in voice. Orchestra and Chorus Highlights The Glyndebourne Chorus was magnificent, creating beauty and power in equal measure throughout.
Huge kudos must also go to the children of the Glyndebourne Youth Opera and the Trinity Boys Choir who sang and acted with remarkable maturity. Devoid of the schmaltzy, amateur dramatics and exaggerated movements that frequently tend to define children’s performances, these guys brought real panache and visual splendor to the first and final acts. Conductor Anja Bihlmaier guided the supreme, London Symphony Orchestra through its paces, and other than the “La Fleur” aria, which I found to be too pacy for my palette, they were magical.
The harp and woodwind solo at the start of Act three was astonishingly beautiful and ethereal. Choreographer Jasmin Vardimon and fight director Bret Yount played major roles in producing and maintaining the superb dynamism that was a hallmark of this performance. The dancing elevated this performance above most others, along with the genuine conflict, aggressive movements and realistic tussling.
This is a remarkable triumph for Diane Paulus, assistant Adam Torrance and associate director Laura Attridge. Not only have they taken a difficult, mid-19 th Century novella and transformed it into a viable, credible modern day tale, but they have done so without any of the usual glaring, attitudinizing, and virtual signaling dross that so many modern productions revel in. If Bizet were still around, I think he’d be suitably impressed.
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