United Kingdom Bizet, Carmen: Soloists, Refrain and Orchestra of the Royal Opera Home / Antonello Manacorda (conductor). Royal Opera Home, London, 5.4.2023. (CC)

Manufacturing:
Director – Damiano Michieletto
Set designer – Paolo Fantin
Costume designer – Carla Teti
Lighting designer – Alessandro Carletti
Dramaturg – Elisa Zaninotto
Refrain director – William Spaulding

Forged:
Moralès – Grisha Martirosyan
Micaëla – Olga Kulchynska
Don José – Piotr Beczała
Zuniga – Blaise Malaba
Carmen – Aigul Akhmetshina
Frasquita – Sarah Dufresne
Mercédès – Gabrielė Kupšytė
Escamillo – Kostas Smoriginas
Dancaïro – Pierre Doyen
Remendado – Vincent Ordonneau
Bohemian – Dawid Kimberg
Orange vendor – Louise Armit
Mom of Don José (Voiceover) – Caroline Lena Olsson
The Singing Youngsters – members of the Youth Opera Firm

After Barrie Kosky’s manufacturing, beforehand seen at Covent Backyard (my evaluation right here) cut up the critics, Damiano Michieletto’s manufacturing may be seen as one thing of a corrective. It locates Carmen in a time and place a good distance from the world of Kosky’s Cabaret; right here, we’re within the scorching warmth of Spain, a spot in-between cities, dry and scorching. References are made to the Wild West, together with a troupe of brightly-clad kids who parade in entrance of the curtain originally of every act to disclose the setting for the following a part of the motion on placards, one letter every. It’s pleasant the primary time, however maybe much less so thereafter, and relatively detracts from Bizet’s music beneath.

The largest digression from the unique is the addition of a silent character: Don José’s mom, who fairly actually haunts the set from the very starting (the place she reveals a card to the viewers – until one is close-up, although, it could be unimaginable to see that it’s the ‘Demise’ card which certainly turns up within the opera’s motion. It really works – sort of, and for a short while – on first acquaintance, however (once more) on repetition the novelty will bleed out. There’s, by the way, one other ‘further’ character, a tailor (a caricature of a tailor, at that) for Don Escamillo.

One other ‘intelligent’ facet that may properly additionally jar on repetition is the necessity for a ‘revolve’. The stage is principally a constructing – which may flip to point out each exterior and shenanigans inside – and a a lot wider stage house. This concept threads the opera collectively, in a way, all through the varied areas of police station, nightclub, warehouse, and dressing room, however I’m wondering how a lot Carmen wants threading. Its recognition is solely justified because it is among the really nice operas (even when far too many highlights’ discs have blunted the originality of its totality). It could possibly stand completely properly by itself two toes with out directorial dissonance.

The general really feel of this Carmen is that it has been translated into an explicitly verismo setting, a transplanting of France into Italy, however acknowledged as Spain. That concept doesn’t sit too properly; the lighting, although (Alessandro Carletti) is hanging and aware of the motion, usually altering the emotional really feel of a scene out of the blue (and congruently with the music).

However maybe the perfect factor is to dispense with staging? Conductor Aziz Shokhakimov provided essentially the most musically satisfying Carmen I’ve heard, truly in live performance efficiency in Strasbourg a 12 months shy of at some point in the past (evaluation right here) and on account of Shokhakimov, Carmen emerged because the masterpiece it’s.

The forged was headed by the Carmen du jour, Aigul Akhmetshina (who shares the run with Vasilisa Berzhanskaya). And never even thirty but, Akhmetshina dominates the position globally for a cause: her voice has the complete vary, smoky, chesty and highly effective beneath, shining and superbly projected up prime. Her ‘L’amour est un oiseau rebelle’ set the stall for a night of vocal perfection. Akhmetshina set not one foot incorrect, both actually on stage or metaphorically vocally. She lives each second, her stage recognition eminently plausible.

Connection between her and her Don José, Piotr Beczała (who shares the position with Brandon Jovanovich) was much less convincing, nonetheless, at the least dramatically. Vocally he appeared to heat into the night, providing us later simply what his totally blossomed voice can do, however dramatically in a special, and decrease, league than his Carmen; his Flower Track (‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’) got here throughout as relatively stilted.

Right here, Micaëla is depicted as a glasses-wearing geek, in maximal distinction to the free-wheeling Carmen. Don José’s mom seems round her, additionally, and her dramatic significance is subsequently considerably elevated. And Olga Kulchynska is an ideal alternative: Micaëla’s aria, ‘Je dis que rien m’épouvante’, was, musically, merely scrumptious, the epitome of the spirit of French opéra.

Quite a lot of singers who’ve impressed many instances earlier than courtesy of the Jette Parker Artists scheme impressed once more: Blaise Malabala was a robust Zuniga, whereas Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė had been a wonderfully matched Frasquita and Mercédès respectively. Truthful to say I’ve solely as soon as heard a finer Frasquita dwell beforehand: Florie Valiquette in that Strasbourg efficiency.

Whereas I loved Kostas Smoriginas as Donner within the current Das Rheingold at Covent Backyard, his Escamillo was considerably surprisingly reticent within the Toreador’s Track (shocking given the keenness and confidence he displayed along with his hammer at his large second within the Wagner). The entire smaller roles had been properly taken, it’s true (together with two native French singers within the Remendado of Vincent Ordonneau and the Dancaïro of Pierre Doyen); it’s simply that the entire didn’t fairly add up, vocally (a near-miss, although) and dramatically (one thing extra of a fail).

Conductor Antonello Manacorda started properly, with some good highlighting of element on the opening, however there have been too many unfastened ends, not least the excessive strings simply earlier than Carmen enters for the primary time. All in all, not Covent Backyard’s best achievement, though Michieletto’s manufacturing may properly stand the take a look at of time greater than Kosky’s.

Colin Clarke

Featured Picture: Damiano Michieletto’s manufacturing of Carmen © Camilla Greenwell