Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Bizet’s Carmen opens Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Royal Theatre. Spain is the sultry backdrop for titular Carmen’s tortured relationships with the soldier Don José and the toreador, Escamillo. Last May, director Dennis Garnhum and designer Bretta Gerecke travelled to Seville to experience first-hand the thrill of the bullring.
View the photo gallery above to see the vibrant images captured on their trip.
CBC Music asked Garnhum about his experiences in Spain, and about his approach to Carmen, one of the best-loved operas in the repertoire.
Q: Escamillo is one of opera's greatest dudes. A bullfighter! Tell me about the world of the matador.
A: Escamillo would have been the rock star of Spain. The dance of death that the matador engages in with the bull is a powerful and deeply disturbing ritual. My heart raced as I watched him enter the bullring. Thousands of people were cheering for this man decked out in his colourful uniform of battle. Moments later a large, confused and angry bull was let into the ring. Tradition and history were playing out before me. In mere minutes, it was clear to everyone that someone or something was going to die. The tension and drama were palpable. I'll never forget that moment.
Samuel Ramey sings Escamillo's aria Votre toast in a 1987 Metropolitan Opera production of Carmen.
Q: Carmen appears in almost anybody's top-five list of operas. As a director, how do you approach such a well-known work?
A: First of all, I approach it with a great sense of excitement and honour. I love this opera. It’s a great one for directors, filled with a passionate story, delicious characters and sumptuous settings. That said, however, it is a bit terrifying. Everyone has his expectations of this work. I chose to focus on Carmen and the journey she takes rather than on the pageantry of the opera. If we care about Carmen, then everything else will be in glorious support of that. The pageantry will be there, but it’s not my prime focus.
Q: Maria Callas famously said that Carmen approached her amorous relationships very much as a man would do. Thoughts?
A: For me, it’s about something much bigger than that. Carmen is a woman who exudes life. Everyone is attracted to her because she is living a fully expressed life. She loves the power that intimacy brings and she relishes her time with men.
Maria Callas sang the Seguidilla from Act 1 of Carmen at a recital in Hamburg, Germany, in 1962.
Q: In the opera, we never really see Carmen and Don José "clicking." There isn't a love duet, and instead they seem to be constantly at odds. As a director, how do you portray this awkward relationship through action and gesture on stage?
A: We all understand the power of love, but I think we are always more interested in the challenge and power of pain. It's very difficult to be in love and remain in love. Carmen finds the reality of love deeply uninteresting. So we stage the opera by figuring out the new event in each scene and discovering the new emotions it elicits. Bizet has done a brilliant job shaping the piece; we need only illuminate what is already there.
Q: Poor Micaëla. She spends most of her time moping. Bizet made up for this by giving her some gorgeous music to sing. For you, what does Micaëla represent in the opera?
A: We've made Micaëla a real girlfriend of Don José. In their first scene in our production it ends with them kissing passionately. So this way the audience really cares about her. She's less removed from the others.
Angela Gheorghiu sings Micaëla’s aria Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante in a 1997 Metropolitan Opera production of Carmen.
Q: Tell us about the singers you're working with in this production. What's the chemistry like, and what can the audience in Victoria look forward to on opening night?
A: Allyson McHardy (Carmen) and Eric Fennel (Don José) are a refreshing, energetic pair in the two leading roles. It's been a pleasure working with Allyson on her first Carmen. And Eric has performed Don José before so he brings a confidence to his performance that is wonderful to watch. The whole cast is a great collection of vibrant, sexy young people who seem so perfectly right for this production. It's a massive undertaking; over 100 people are required to perform this every night. And under Timothy Vernon's expert musical direction, we are all set for a stellar opening night. A fresh take on a brilliant opera.
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Pacific Opera Victoria presents Bizet's Carmen
posted by
Robert Rowat
on Feb 15, 2012