CarmenCtOp - Page: 1 of 1

Review: Paul Joseph Walkowski
OperaOnline.us

The place is Seville, Spain in the early 19th Century. The flirtatious gypsy-girl Carmen tempts all men but seduces a select few, one of whom is corporal of the guard, Don José. Once she has him hooked, she decides that a matador named Escamillo is more to her liking. From that moment her fate is sealed, just as the Tarot cards said: someone is going to die, as, indeed, she does, at the hands of the scorned corporal in the final scene.

Last night Connecticut opera was without its conductor Willie Anthony Waters when it performed Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” at Hartford’s Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, and his presence was missed. He had a stomach ailment and was under doctor’s recommendation to rest. Filling in, however, was maestro Cal Stewart Kellogg, who conducted the score wonderfully and brought from the Hartford Symphony Orchestra nothing less than its usual best, filling the hall with deep, resonant and familiar music, making this performance truly one of its best – and that’s hard to do, given the consistent high quality of this orchestra. I found myself listening to the music and marveling at how each time I hear this opera, I hear something different and worthwhile. It was an audible delight. Well done Maestro!

To bring this production to the stage, set designer Peter Dean Beck (settings from Kentucky Opera and Stage Tech Services), costume designer Charles R. Cane and lighting designer Daniel Ordower (his debut with the company) gave us a single set that served many purposes, and served those purposes well throughout with imaginative positioning of props, superb moody lighting, employing the company’s practice of backlighting the main stage and discretely spotlighting the performers as their time to sing comes due. It was a marvelous, almost expressionistic setting that incredibly looked, at times, like a mountain hideout, the inside of a tavern and a town square – all done with simple props. When you attend an opera at Connecticut opera, you expect the best and the company always delivers in these areas.

The cast for this production was uniformly outstanding with compelling vocal performances from its leads. Mezzo-soprano Mary Ann McCormack, sang the role of Carmen. Ms. McCormack displayed a full sounding, earthy voice that ran the full range of emotional peaks and valleys, giving her Carmen nice depth and believability. But Carmen needs more, and the thing that separates Carmen from the rest of the factory girls was, well, missing from Ms. McCormack’s performance. It’s hard to know whether this is the doing of the stage director, in this case, Gregory A. Fortner, who may have wanted to play it too safe in a family theater, or the performer. It’s not that this Carmen lacked stage presence; she had that, for sure. She just lacked the body language and lusty appeal that one comes to expect from the part. Carmen is not one of the girls; she is a woman apart, and failing to set her apart (both in costume and lure) is a mistake, repeated often.

Tenor Kip Wilborn, who sang the role of Don José, emoted feelings clearly with every utterance; he acted superbly, had strong stage presence and generally sang up a storm to the delight of the audience. His Don José was bombastic and thrilling to hear.

Baritone Steven Gaertner, sang the role of the matador Escamillo. Although I thought he reached for the lows somewhat, and didn’t show the flamboyance of the character the part calls for, his vocal performance was right on mark in all other ways. Again, this (physicality) could just be the fault of the stage director playing it safe. But Escamillo is a big, brash, spoiled boy. His body language is the language of the strut and primp. Like Carmen, he’s not one of the crowd, but one apart and above it.

Bass Christopher Dickerson, singing the role of captain-of-the guard, Zuniga did a superb job both vocally and as an actor and displayed good stage presence and solid vocal ability throughout.

Soprano Audrey DuBois, singing the role of Micaëla, was a standout performer last night, and her lament in the third act “Dut-il m’en couter la vie” where she begs Don José to return to his home and mother with her, was thrilling and an emotional show-stopper. Brava!

With the exception of Mr. Wilborn, the above all made their Connecticut Opera debuts and delivered mightily in an emotional and moving production throughout, in spite of these mild critiques.

It was nice to see resident artists, soprano Sarah Callinan and mezzo-soprano Meredith Ziegler in the roles of Carmen’s gypsy friends, Frasquita and Mercedes, respectively. Both women gave solid performances, displaying good vocal control and tone and solid stage presence, with Ms. Callinan displaying a surprising “come hither” gypsy style that was quite appealing, and Ms. Ziegler showing a playful side that came across beautifully for the part. These are usually two underrated roles in this opera, but when done well, as they were last night, can make the stage burn up, as it did when they were on it.

A well done also goes out to bass-baritone Scott Elliot, who sang the role of both Morales and the bandit El Remendado and tenor Michael-Paul Krubitzer who sang the role of bandit El Dancaïro. Both men delivered wonderful vocal performances and displayed good stage presence in their roles, adding immeasurably to the realism of this fine production.

As usual the chorus for this production was well-rehearsed and vocally superb in its delivery.

I traveled an hour-and-a half through some pretty heavy downpours on the Mass Pike last night to view this performance, and can state that Connecticut Opera is one of those companies where the weather takes a back seat, the shows are that good. Last night was no exception, even with the caveats noted above. Connecticut Opera’s Carmen was a moving and powerful presentation, filled with enough fine singing and solid production value to rate it one of the better “Carmens” I have seen. Well done!

Conductor, Call Stewart Kellogg
Stage Director, Gregory A. Fortner
Set designer, Peter Dean Beck
Costume designer, Daniel Ordower
Cghorus Master, Neely Bruce