On the other hand, Don José literally ties Carmen up with a rope when he tries to arrest her - an ominous ending to the first scene. Don José meanwhile is overcome by his own emotions and animal instinct. One the one hand, Carmen, played on opening night by Maya Lahyani, is the smarter of the two, equipped with her intelligence, strength and sexuality.
These details reinforce the analogy of Don José and Carmen’s relationship with that of a bullfighter and bull, though who is the bull and who is the fighter is a little wiggly.
Later, during the bull fight, there are blown up photographs of the toreador in action. The first scene features a giant red door that looks like a matador cape. Riccardo Hernández’s scenic design plays up the bullfighter imagery. But the new freedom, for Don José, is itself suffocating. When Don José (played on opening night by the impressive Won Whi Choi) deserts the army and runs away with Carmen and the Romani travelers, the set opens up to reveal a bright, white light, one that offers new possibilities. The lighting design by Robert Wierzel and Amith Chandrashaker uses extreme breaks between light and dark to show contrasting life choices: freedom on the one hand, and constraint on the other.
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Working with a keen design team, Graves brings a somber, desolate feeling to the piece, full of symbolism.
“Carmen” at the Ordway, performed with a double cast, is a bit of a homecoming for Graves, who performed the title role with Minnesota Opera back in 1991.Īaron Keeney as Escamillo, Maya Lahyani as Carmen and the Minnesota Opera Chorus inMinnesota Opera’sCarmen.(Courtesy Cory Weaver, Minnesota Opera) Rather than minimize the cultural appropriation of Bizet’s music, stage director Denyce Graves leans into the Romani aspect of the plot, highlighting the oppressed group’s humanity by showing their deep sense of community. Infused in the music are elements of Spanish folk melodies and flamenco rhythms, which Bizet uses to establish Carmen’s “otherness” as a Romani woman.
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Carmen’s famous “Habenera,” the “Toreador” melody, and other themes have found their way into the Muppet Show episodes, the Marx Brothers, TV ads, the movie “Up,” and many more.
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Heard trial putting the topic of intimate partner violence in the news, Minnesota Opera’s production (co-produced with the Glimmerglass Festival) of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” feels particularly timely.Ī brutal story of jealousy and violent misogyny, the tragic opéra comique has some of the most ubiquitous melodies in all of opera, with themes that have permeated modern culture.
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Further runs are planned for 2008 at Houston Grand Opera and Pittsburgh Opera.Before there was Johnny and Amber, there was Don José and Carmen, a toxic love that acts as a textbook for how to not have romantic relationships. Paul, on February 13, 15, 17 and 18 details and tickets are available at This spring the production travels to Salt Lake City, for five performances by Utah Opera (May 12-20. The Grapes of Wrath receives four more performances in St.
On the podium is Grant Gershon, music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. What kind of music has Gordon provided for the story of the Joad family? Everything from Coplandesque symphonic grandeur to jazz to square dance: "I'm a trash can in terms of what I've listened to my whole life," he told the Associated Press last week, "and you're going to hear just about all of it."īaritone Brian Leerhuber stars as Tom Joad, with mezzo Deanne Meek as Ma Joad, baritone Robert Orth as Uncle John, soprano Kelly Kaduce as Rose of Sharon, tenor Robert Honeywell as Jim Casey, and the beloved veteran mezzo Rosalind Elias as Granma.ĭirecting the production - have a look at the photos below - is Eric Simonson, a member of Chicago's legendary Steppenwolf Theater Company. The result had its world premiere Saturday night (February 10) at the Ordway Center in St. The New York-based composer, whose work has for years straddled the border between the classical and musical theater worlds, has spent several years with librettist Michael Korie fashioning an operatic version of The Grapes of Wrath.
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