a very interesting, very Czech presentation, IMVHO . . .
a very intriguing patina of slavic morbid puckishness overlaying the French tragic insousiance of Carmen, with prison wall barb-wire back grounds, transvestite ballerinas, and bicycles instead of horses . . .
the lead tenor had a sort of nixon posture issue and an uncertain quality to his voice that sort of negated his romantic lead.
Carmen was arguably the 3rd best soprano on stage . . . the second gypsy woman was a better singer but too short . . . the mousy childhood girlfriend was too blond to be carmen, but her solo in the 3rd act was the best thing on stage, got chills, if you know what I mean . . . not just IMHO, the crowd loved her and held her with applause then and again on her curtain call . . . now I know how those opera feuds get started . . . humiliating for the lead . . . who received gracious but tepid applause . . .
she didn't really give it her all -- if she has more to give - - -who can say . . . she just sorta minced around stage hitting all the right notes . . . her stage presence was . . . unimposing, if one can complain about something so ephemeral . . . it could not be because she was dressed in white instead of red, could it?
People are wrong when they say opera is not what it used to be. It is what it used to be. That is what's wrong with it.
Noel Coward
At least we can console ourselves that Carment was not opera as it used to be . . . .
