CARMEN – the story of a temptress
CARMEN is the world's favourite operas for good reason. Bizet unites unforgettable melodies, Spanish rhythms, and blazing orchestral colours to create a savage drama of love and jealousy, sex and death - a tragedy played out in a glare as bright as a bullring. “There’s an earthy reality to everything about the music,” says conductor Brian Law. “It captures perfectly everything that is going on on the stage – from the seduction of Don José to the pomposity of Escamillo”.
The story concerns a beautiful young gypsy with a fiery temper. Carmen is not careful with her love and is responsible for the downfall of many men. She woos the corporal Don José, leading him to mutiny against his superior. Infatuated with Carmen, Don José joins her band of smugglers. For a brief period he is happy with Carmen, but is driven to madness when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo.
Stunning Israeli mezzo soprano, Rinat Shaham, arguably one of the greatest Carmens in the world, will head a sensational cast that includes world-leading tenor Vinson Cole as Don José, Australian Joshua Bloom as Escamillo and New Zealand’s Suzanne Prain as Micaëla. Elric Hooper will direct and Brian Law will lead the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
Reviews
27 November 2007
Newcomer Southern Opera boldly nailed its colours to the mast for its maiden voyage with a canny if cautious choice: Bizet’s Carmen. Even a moderately good production of this, the “perfect opera”, can hardly fail to please given its gripping plot, great tunes and brilliant orchestration.
1 November 2007
When Canterbury Opera announced the cancellation of its production of Dvorak’s Rusalka in September last year and
subsequently went into voluntary liquidation in December, there were concerned ripples
throughout the opera, arts and wider community. Canterbury and Christchurch particularly were disappointed to have lost
local opera performances and a determined group of opera supporters weren’t about to let that happen.