|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” is one of the most frequently performed operas in the Western canon, so does the world really need another staging of it? Music lovers (and critics) should be forgiven for asking that question, but would do better to ask instead: What can an opera production company do with an old war horse? Look to the current production by West Bay Opera for the answer.
West Bay Opera, which has come to establish itself as a regional company that insists on telling old stories in new ways, has given us a “Carmen” that is fresh and, in the case of the title character, fiendish. Under the leadership of general director Jose Luis Moscovich, West Bay also continues, with this fine production, its commitment to bringing first-rate singers to its stage and delivering a riveting show.
First staged in 1875, “Carmen” spins the tale of a young, seductive and fiercely independent Gypsy woman who works in a cigarette factory in Seville, Spain. The target of her desire as the opera opens is the military corporal Don Jose. So far, so what?
But this Carmen, as portrayed by the smoldering mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz, is not the capricious, spoiled child portrayed in typical opera productions – a beautiful girl who knows the power she has over men and just wants what she wants. She is a formidable woman who demands what she wants, and will not take no for an answer.
After Carmen flings a flower at the unsuspecting Don Jose, whom she has just seen for the first time outside the cigarette factory, the feelings that action stirs in the corporal prompts him to pronounce her a sorceress. With some productions of this opera, that characterization feels whimsical, merely an indication of the magical power of raw sexual attraction. With this Carmen, the referenced sorcery is black magic. The dark palette Printz calls upon both vocally and in her acting draws out the menace of a reckless and dangerous woman. Her portrayal colors the story with undertones of destructive energy. This is not a Carmen whose actions might be excused as youthful foolishness.
Printz gives a stellar performance in this production, as does the superb tenor Salvatore Atti as Don Jose. Among the highlights of the performance are duets these two fine singers share and deliver with all the appropriate emotion and drama of the moment.
In addition to the lead singers, baritones Kiril Havezov as Zuniga and Krassen Karagiozov as Escamillo are stand-outs. Both men not only sang their roles with precision and appropriate force, but they also had a commanding presence on the stage – fitting for a military officer and a renowned toreador.
Stage direction by Richard Harrell was up to his usual standards – he had previously directed fine productions of West Bay’s “Tosca” and “La Traviata.”
The orchestra, with Moscovich conducting, performed its duties with precision and pizzazz, offering a fitting backdrop to the on-stage drama.
In keeping with West Bay’s efforts to update the stories that unfold in its productions, the setting of “Carmen” was 1930s Seville, during the Spanish Civil War. The political upheaval of those days wasn’t readily apparent except for some Franco posters in the plaza, but the theme transformed an otherwise vague gypsy smuggling enterprise into an antifascist operation, with the revolutionaries gathering late at night in a camp outside the city.
According to Moscovich, ticket sales for “Carmen” have been robust, but there may be seats left for the remaining two performances this weekend. If so, you’d do well to grab those seats and hang on for a soaring ride.
If you go
Remaining performances of West Bay Opera’s “Carmen,” staged in the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, are on Saturday and Sunday, June 2 (8 p.m.) and June 3 (2 p.m.). Tickets are $40 to $85. Go to WBOpera.org or call 650-424-9999 for tickets.
-
Philip Guston’s untitled ink-on-paper work is featured at Anderson Collection’s latest exhibition. Image courtesy of Anderson Collection. -
The push to collect signatures for a landlord-backed rent control initiative is leading to many reports of paid workers bending the truth to get residents to jot down their names. Proponents and those they’ve hired need to collect about 5,150 signatures within a matter of days to get the measure qualified for the November ballot.
Most Popular
Gamel Way developer cuts down affordable units for builder’s remedy projectSeptember 4, 2026 1:47 pm
Rumors fly about potential closure of Mountain View's Cinemark Century 16 movie theaterSeptember 1, 2026 7:04 pm
