He and his pit orchestra earned special plaudits from two of the singers during the bows. One of the stalwarts in this erratic show was conductor (and SFO Music Director) Harry Bicket. Tenor Michael Fabiano was the Don Jose, exuberantly oversinging with his booming tenor much of the night, but producing the fire and fight lighting up the lovers’ wrenching finale.īaritone Michael Sumuel played Escamillo the Toreador with style and swagger, even though real bullfighters’ build is more like lithe dancers’ than heavyweight boxers’. Too often these days the mezzo title role is turned over to big-name sopranos who are hard put to propel those earthy low notes. And Leonard’s French was excellent.įor musical purists however she was a welcome singer. That brought forth all the whirlwind tensions and anger sadly lacking in the glitzy show-biz spectacle that came before. Warming up gradually from a lethargic “Habañera” in her opener, she produced one of the great finale scenes in violent conflict with the putative lover Don Jose. The stellar mezzo Isabel Leonard was thrust into this new role, where the only visible remnant of the real “Carmen” opera was her adroit (and brief) flashing of castanets precisely in time with the orchestra, as if in the middle of old Seville. Ahh, modern-day symbolism! I think I heard, after a century and a half, composer Bizet turning over in his grave. And yes, the 2022 Carmen is wearing blue jeans in the finale, she could well be transformed into a casino croupier.Īnd oh yes, she’s hanging out in the dregs of a bankrupt amusement park with wrecks of merry-go-round and roller coaster. The new Carmen is a cool sorority sister type and girl-next-door coed. This is the sleek new 2022 model of Carmen, straight from the showrooms.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |