London Coliseum
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Carmen follows a spirited and flirtatious gypsy girl called Carmen, who is admired and longed for by all of the soldiers. After meeting soldier Don Jose, they both fall passionately in love with each other - even though Don Jose knows that this is not the wisest move. Their intense relationship is short-lived after Don Jose tells Carmen that he needs to leave their little rendez-vous in order to get back to his military duties. She swiftly falls out of love with him and moves on with famous toreador Escamillo. Don Jose, however, is still fiercely in love with Carmen, and he becomes obsessed with having Carmen for himself, an obsession which leads him to lose everything that he has. He becomes increasingly frustrated and desperate, which ultimately ends in him essentially hunting her down and then killing her. The opera becomes increasingly dramatic as it progresses, making for a really exciting production.
The music in Carmen is, I believe, some of Bizet's best work. The melodies are entrancing and brought me right into the Spanish world in which Carmen was living. They are also incredibly memorable and you will be left humming the tunes for days afterwards. It is really worth going just to hear the music which is performed so well by the orchestra under Valentina Peleggi's conducting.
I have seen pictures of other performances of Carmen and they do seem to be a little more sparkly and demonstrative, with snazzy dresses and all sorts. It is true that this production is quite dark and dismal most of the time - with just a phone box on stage, or a giant sculpture of a bull, and even at one point 4 real cars to create the gypsy 'campsite'. I think that this slightly darker set-design allows for all of the magic of the music and character of the opera to really shine and take centre stage. In its simplicity, the stage design was also effective in illustrating the emptiness and shallowness behind all of the developing relationships.
For me, the highlight of this particular production was the cast. Not only were they supremely talented and equally gifted in both the singing and acting departments - especially when it came to the two leads of Justina Gringyte as a powerful Carmen and the magnificent tenor Sean Panikkar as Don Jose - but it was so refreshingly diverse. Having recently gone to see a production of Otello where the character of Othello was played by a white man, I had started to lose hope for opera becoming more welcoming to different audiences and to show more diversity on its stages. It seemed to me that opera was stuck in the past while the rest of the performance industry was gradually becoming more representative and modern. However, I just had to come back to see an opera by the ENO to realise that this is not the case and that there is indeed hope for opera! What was especially exciting was seeing the group of children who sang at various points throughout the opera, and to see them so enthusiastic about what they were doing. So the ENO once again managed to put together a cast of superb talent, and it also gave me great anticipation for the future of opera.
In summary, there is really nothing that can be faulted about this production of Carmen. The music, the performances and the story of the opera itself, all make it well worth a visit. I would recommend this production to everyone, although perhaps due to the slightly more adult themes it wouldn't be the first thing on my list for a family outing. It is especially worth giving a watch if you think that opera is only for old people - it really isn't! Bravo to the ENO.