Best Regards
John
You must have seen a different production of “Carmen” to what I saw in Wellington. In all my years of opera going around the world and seeing it performed by many of the greatest singers, orchestras and conductors what was wrong with this one?
First it was boring and the much aclaimed lighting was as effictive as a Toch H lamp. Carmen was excellent but felt in this production there was a much better one waiting to escape. Escamillo looked like a funeral director who wouldn’t put the fear into any bull. Tom Randle has been singing too much baroque and modern operahas taken its toll on his voice. For once Micaela didn’t look as if she’d wandered in from “La Boheme”.Orchestra Wellington was in splendid form and found myself listening to them in the Flower Song. The conductor was fine except for letting the endings of ACTS 1 & 2 slacken.The flower(s) in Act One looked as if they’d come from a $2 shop.
Not Lindy Hume at her best I’m afraid. There are so many other negative points I could make but I’ve already heard them from others. You are right about the French.
My first ever “Carmen” was sung in English at Covent Garden in 1960 conducted by Rudolf Kempe with that fine American mezzo Gloria Lane. Italian/American tenor Arturo Sergi whom I then heard many times later in Germany was Done Jose. Joan Carlyle, a memorable Micaela. A young Thomas Stewart was the vibrant Escamillo. I don’t remember the production but all I knew of the opera was represented on stage.
I wish NZ Opera had staged “Carmen Jones”.
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