This was an excellent production. It’s one that I had seen in an early lockdown relay last year but it comes across even better on a stage. The setting is updated to Francoist Spain, the stage is almost bare except for a few very simple props, notably a flagpole in the middle of the parade ground for Act 1 and an almost entirely bare stage for the final act with a large oval being drawn on the ground at the start as a neat reminder of the bullring – and the sparseness of the sets continually reminded us (or me at least) of the bullring concept within empty space in which the drama of the bullfight takes place. And in the amazingly concise and powerful final act (barely 20 minutes!) the final image of Don Jose pulling the corpse of Carmen off by one arm, as a killed bull is dragged from the ring, was stunningly powerful. The opening of the final act was superbly staged with a wildly excited crowd, held back only by a rope, at the very front of the stage, leaping and cheering as the toreador’s procession passed into the arena. So much more effective than actually seeing an elaborate procession a la Zeffirelli production. The width and size of the Margit stage meant that the cars used in Act 3 for the arrival of the smugglers (many of whom seemed to be army personnel) had maximum impact and the stage did not feel cluttered by them.
Once again, I had infinite admiration for Bizet’s score – some stunningly and precisely focused with never a spare note or phrases, but everything moving the drama on.
Andrea Szanto was an excellent Carmen, managing to capture all moods while Szabolcs Brickner was a fine Jose, capturing the passionate fanaticism of the final act without histrionics. He kept our sympathy for him right to the end – or at least for this viewer. Orsolya Safar I though started a little roughly vocally but rapidly and much improved. She did not make Michaela a simpering milksop, which can and does happen, but there was an edge to her which came out when she was the focus of attention of the army in Act 1 – and the chorus, btw, were very good and convincing soldiers – not always the case on the operatic stage but particularly important here where the army are made grimly important from the opening scene, throughout the length of which a soldier is running punishment circuits round the parade ground.
Fantastic evening and a great start to what I hope will be operatic normality.