CarmenTeatro - Page: 1 of 1

THE STORY:
Micaela is in love with Don Jose, a soldier, who is indifferent toward her. He is not so indifferent however about a gypsy woman he meets: the flirtatious, seductress gypsy Carmen who is arrested for fighting. Infatuated by her charms, Don Jose agrees to set her free in return for her love. He, in turn, is jailed for his involvement with her escape. When released from prison he reluctantly abandons the army and joins her at the gypsy camp only to find that she is infatuated with another. In a mountain hideout Carmen reads her Tarot cards which foretell death for both her and her lover. Meanwhile, Escamillo, a charismatic Matador, arrives and after meeting Carmen tells Don Jose that he too is in love with her. Distraught Don Jose leaves with Micaela, to tend to his dying mother, but tells Carmen that he will return. They meet again in the Seville Plaza where Carmen awaits Escamillo, whom she now loves. After a heated argument, where Carmen tells Don Jose that she no longer desires him, Don Jose draws a knife and kills her. The Opera ends with Carmen dead and Don Jose asking to be arrested for her murder

WHERE I VIEWED IT:
The Cutler Majestic Theater (circa 1903, Beaux-Arts style) in the heart of Boston’s theater district (The Wang, Colonial, Schubert, Wilbur and Charles Playhouse) is a magnificent hall in which to view opera, and one more reason to visit Boston for its theater. Convenient to hotels, dining and public parks, the Cutler Majestic is grand, cozy, warm and ideal for opera, which is why it earned our recognition as one of the most elegant opera houses in the northeast.

THE PERFORMANCE:
Teatro Lirico D’Europa rolled out its big guns at Emerson’s Cutler Majestic Theater in Boston last night and offered up to the audience a Carmen that at times soared in the manner of its delivery from an outstanding cast that gave it it’s all, but was dragged down unfortunately by some pretty unimaginative stage lighting by Giorgio Bajukliev that was irritatingly harsh, set design by Valentine Topencharov that was adequate, and in Act III non-existent, and stage direction by Giorgio Lalov that, well, left a lot of bodies wandering about aimlessly and to the point of distraction.
This is a shame, too, because the effort that went into this production from the cast deserved better. These things can and should be addressed.
First, with regard to lighting: Carmen is an opera with many moods. Here, the bright lights never changed: there was no day, no dusk, no evening, and no hint that the action taking place ever occurred in other than bright sunshine or outdoors. Effective lighting creates and enhances the mood of the opera and provides the visual backdrop to the emotional context of the libretto, and in the case of this fine cast, some pretty outstanding acting. In Act III, the sets were bland and the darkness lacked any contrasts, like a moonlit sky, camp fires, etc.. For example, when the action takes place in the gypsy camp, there should be a camp, camp fires, wagons to give the impression that it was a camp, and activity from a cast that does other than sit around on the stage floor, with nothing to do. The “camp” was bland and empty of color. Even the sky was simply a black backdrop. Lastly, with regard to the cast and chorus, they sang well but from beginning to end seemed as if they were drifting about. In Act I couples walked about in circles – just like in real life, right? And as noted in Act III they sat about then vanished when the principals took center stage. A town square can’t go from empty to full for no apparent reason. There needs to be some transition.
Okay, having said that, the bright spot of this opera was the riveting performances from a cast that oozed talent, vocally and as actors. We were told to expect something special from Albuquerque-born mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chavez, and WOW, did she deliver. Saucy, sexy, playful, flirtatious and gifted with a voice that is rich and smooth in tone and range – she is a perfect Carmen, with long, curly black hair and facial expressions and body movements that spoke to every man in the audience, no doubt. When she danced and sang with castanets for her soldier boyfriend, Don Jose, the temperature in the theater went up several degrees. This woman has talent and really manages to get inside her character. Brava! Her competition for the affection of Don Jose was Veslina Vasileva, in the role of Micaela. Ms. Vasileva has a beautiful and strong soprano voice and she demonstrated how to put that voice to good use last night. Ms. Vasileva held the stage well when sharing it with Chavez – no easy task -- and was able to breathe feeling into her character hitting all the highs effortlessly and projecting her voice with grace and style.
Tenor Jeffrey Springer, who sang the role of Don Jose, was simply outstanding in the role. He has a clear tenor voice that rides the tops beautifully and with no apparent effort or stress. He remained strong throughout the performance and gave a couple truly memorable acting moments, as in the final scene with Carmen. Well done! Another worthy performance in a series of truly worthy performances came from Vladimir Samsonov, who seemed to really enjoy the role of Matador. He sang well and strutted his stuff in a hammy sort of way that was infectious and suitable for the part.
The entire supporting cast did well, as did the Flamenco Dancers from the Ballet Arabesk, who I would liked to have seen more of. The singing of soprano Liubov Metodieva as Frasquita, and mezzo-soprano Viara Zhelezova as Mercedes, Carmen’s friends, was strong and articulate and they fell into their roles as gypsy women wonderfully. Their counterparts, the smugglers: Giorgio Dineff as Remendado and Hristo Sarafov as Dancairo were equally well performed, both vocally and in terms of good performances as actors.
Kudos must also go out to Jury Hadjeff as the Lieutenant. He sang well and carried the role perfectly, never reaching or making a caricature out of his performance. He has a strong voice and good range that floats effortlessly between tenor and baritone and his stage presence is strong. Also we give a nod toward Vladi Hristov as Morales, though his role required less he is noticed even when he is not called upon.
While the orchestra, conducted by Krassimir Topolov, performed well, it did seem to lack depth on the bass end, and there was a moment or two when it seemed out of sync at the very start. But this quickly corrected itself, leaving me, nonetheless, wishing to hear more of its fullness. It is a compelling score with moments that just seem to ache for more depth from the pit.
All in all this was a solid production with some drawbacks on the “production” end that may or may not be seen as flaws by any other viewer but this writer. Its worth seeing, still, because of the cast and the effort they put into making this Carmen as appealing as she is. Well done!

Who says you don't get two bites of the same apple? Last night, Saturday evening March 26, Teatro Lirico D'Europa completed its Boston run of Carmen and this reviewer got a second chance to see it again, only this time with a new Don Jose in the form of tenor Michael Hayes and a new Carmen interpreted by mezzo-soprano Galia Ilbragimova. The rest of this outstanding cast remained the same with an even better performance by Veslina Vasileva as Micaela, who simple blew the roof off the house with her dynamic vocie and powerful delivery, time and again. Not that she wasn't superb Wednesday evening, she was just better Saturday.
Kudos to the orchestra as well. Maybe I messed something a few days ago; maybe the accoustics were somehow different, but last night the orchestra delivered mightily and with the depth I sensed was missing a few days ago. Nonetheless, Krassimir Topolov gave Boston audiences something to remember in the nature of a beautifully and sensitively delivered score that added immeasurably to the pleaseure of this Carmen.
In the title role of Carmen, Ms. Ilbragimova gave us a different Carmen: more earthy, mature, less a temptress than a flirtatious loose woman. I'm not certain I liked that as much as the more innocent "come-hither" approach of Ms. Chavez. It's not that one is better than the other; they were just different. Still, Ms. Ilbragimova's take on Carmen gave us another dimension of the role that, if it does nothing else, demonstrates how each performance is different, and why just because you might have seen Carmen performed one way does not mean you have seen Carmen as she is capable of being portrayed by another singer. Ms. Ilbragimova's voice has an almost guttural sound on the lower register, which can make her Carmen tough and more threatening, which is interesting. She never lost her key or the ability to bring her character to its deserved heights either. Hers was a Carmen that was a gypsy, portrayed as if she would never be anything other than a little cheap, a little tawdry, a little dangerous. The audience loved it, and Ms. Ilbragimova earned the applause.
And then there is Michael Hayes, in the role of Don Jose. This guy can sing and act. He put both talents to good use Saturday evening as he pured his heart into the role and lifted what might be a pathetic, weak Don Jose, into every bit the threat and match to Ilbragimova's Carmen. Michael Haye's has the power of delivery that makes his tenor a commendaing one. When he goes up the register for the high notes his voice fills the hall, and the passion of the moment is driven home in accoustical waves of delight and awe that clearly mark this singer as a major talent. Mr. Hayes has good stage presence, he acts the role and he delivers the goods in a manner that spells Star! Well done.
Teatro Lirico D'Europa can add another notch to its impressive winning belt with this Boston run of Carmen. Both casts, both performances were treats for Boston's growing opera audience.

(PJW)