opera notebook
some operas I have seen on videoGeorges Bizet, Carmen (1875)
libretto by by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Opéra de Rouen Normandie / Palazzetto Bru Zane, 2023
- Conductor: Ben Glassberg
- Director: Romain Gilbert
- Set Designer: Antoine Fontaine
- Carmen: Deepa Johnny
- Don José: Stanislas de Barbeyrac
This Carmen, billed as an "original staging" to convey what the opera looked like in 1875, looks good and sounds very good. As an "original" version it is odd that it includes sung recitatives rather than spoken dialogue. But I suppose that even though the sung recitatives are by Ernest Guiraud and were not composed till after Bizet died, they also date from 1875 and are original in their own way.
The production design and staging are "original," but unsurprising. This goes to show that most productions of Carmen are pretty conservative.