Carmen see an opera classic
When it comes to opera, there are few hotter songs than “Habanera,” from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.”
Now you can experience that piece and more in a new production of this indelible masterpiece, featuring mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina. The reimagined opera will be broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York to the big screen at the Newport Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Director Carrie Cracknell offers a modern staging and fresh, evocative approach to the classic piece.
“Carmen centers on the death of a woman at the hands of her ex-partner,” Cracknell said. “We would now term this crime ‘femicide.’ As the #MeToo movement has changed public consciousness about how pernicious and extensive violence against women is, it has forced audiences, and storytellers, to examine more closely how we present these acts of violence on stages and screens. We can’t portray the death of Carmen as a crime of passion, as this has traditionally been used as a way of mitigating male responsibility. No woman deserves to die in this way at the hands of her intimate partner, and yet it is pervasive worldwide. So we are trying to explore the piece from this perspective — thinking about what themes are present in the piece that we can shine a new light on.”
Carmen's well-constructed, heart-pounding score expertly balances melody with dramatic purpose, and its story is as relevant now as it was in the latter part of the 19th Century. Daniele Rustioni conducts the production’s abundance of beguiling and instantly recognizable tunes, including “Habanera,” “Seguidilla,” “Flower Song” and the baritone's famous “Toreador Song,” Michael Levine provides a bold and imaginative set design and Tom Scutt offers multilayered, contemporary costumes. Rounding out the powerhouse quartet that begins with Akhmetshina, tenor Piotr Beczała portrays troubled lover Don José, soprano Angel Blue appears as the loyal Micaëla and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen takes on the role of swaggering Escamillo.
This live transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning “Live in HD” series, which brings world class opera to screens across the globe with better-than-front-row angles and glorious sound. The production is sung in French, with English subtitles.
The broadcast begins at 10 am, with a run time of approximately three hours and 44 minutes and one intermission. The Newport Performing Arts Center is located at 777 W Olive Street. Tickets, $15.50 to $25.75, are available at coastarts.org or by calling 541-265-2787.