Bizet: Carmen

The recent passing of Teresa Berganza reminded me that she was a world class Carmen in her own right. I started looking for a dvd of a Carmen by Teresa Berganza but I could not find one. I did find a video on YouTube of a performance from the Paris Opera with the following cast: Carmen: Teresa Berganza Don josé: Plácido Domingo Escamillo: Ruggero Raimondi Micaela: Katia Ricciarelli Conductor: Pierre Dervaux.This is a historic recording that any fan of this opera should watch. The video quality can only be charitably be described as atrocious but the sound is passable. The principals are all superb and Raimondi is probably the best Escamillo of the last 50 years.This brings me to this performance of Carmen. I have seen many performances of this opera both live and on dvd and this is my favorite. Based on other reviews on this site, I bought the Kaufman/Antonacci Carmen DVD. This is a great performance. Antonacci is a beautiful lady and the performance exudes eroticism.The Met performance with Elina Garanca however is just perfect. Garanca sings with absolute control of her voice at all times from the famous habanera to everything else in this score. She is beautiful and her interaction with Alagna is simply the most intense I have ever seen in this opera. Besides exquisite singing she can act and she puts on a show from every point of view.Alagna is the perfect Jose in every sense, from his perfect diction to his intense collaboration with Garanca. The final scene is riveting. His only flaw is that he doesn't have the clarion sound for the second act entrance "Dragons d'Alcala". This is a minor point.In summary, if you can only have one Carmen DVD, this is it.

I saw this opera on the big screen and loved it. I became a big fan. I'm saving this DVD for a watch session with friends.

I would not admit to being a fan of opera, but I am a fan of Carmen. I love the music plain and simple. As an opera Carmen, at least I think, is impossible to get perfect. I did, however, enjoy this particular production. I enjoyed it because of Elina Garanca. Is she a stunning beauty? Not quite. Is she a beautiful women? Yes, and she has a fabulous voice. Is she sultry and seductive? Very much so. One might say she was a little too obvious sexually in her acting (I can deal with cleavage and other sexual nuances, but I thought she spread her legs too much), after all, though, isn't that the plot? So I dealt with it. However, I do not think my wife did. Without comment she asked if we could watch something else. Roberto Alagna, his singing was OK, but he looked like an out-of-shape soldier. Teddy Rhodes I thought was great, especially when I learned more about him. Now to the one glaring negative. The flamenco dance sequence did not impress me at all. The dancers all looked like a bunch of American dancers trying to be flamenco dancers. Perhaps, it's the Spanish blood in me. One dancing positive, though, the ballet sequences I thought were a nice touch and very creative. They certainly set the mood. Unfortunately, Tom C. beat the Met again. In one of his Mission Impossible Movies several female flamenco dancers do a routine that will simply knock your socks off. Sorry Met, although you did a good job with this particular production of Carmen, there is still room for improvement.

Carmen is a widely performed opera and as such, we expect a lot since we know it so well. This production by Richard Eyre is very realistic, creative and updated in a simple way without falling into the traditional and expected elements of what audience may think about the work. The famous Habanera is sung in the right context of the story and is a preamble on how realistic the production is. Elina Garanca in the title role is simply superb. Her voice has no comparison and her acting is so real one forgets she is even singing, and on top of that, her beauty makes her a true center of attention. Roberto Alagna is a perfect Don Jose. He is a tour de force on stage and really transforms himself into the naïve soldier turned mad-man. His voice is in great shape and the highlights of this production are the duets with Carmen in Act I and at the end, they are so intense one is at the edge of the seat! The rest of the cast is great, but my favorite was Barbara Frittoli as Michaela singing a beautiful “Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante.” Yannick Nézet-Séguin makes an outstanding MET debut at the podium, bringing an incredible read of the score and making the MET Orchestra and Chorus sounds as great as ever. Kudos to the MET Ballet for the great moments at Lillas Pastia’s Inn and the soloist dancers for such beautiful duets during the orchestra interludes.

Bizet: Carmen (Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Elina Garanca) [DVD] [2010] [NTSC ]This performance of Carmen is one of those nowadays increasingly rare treats that combine marvellous singing and superb acting with beautiful staging.For me, Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna are the perfect Carmen and Don Jose, I absolutely adore their singing and their intense portrayal of the characters. Here we can watch and listen to two of the finest opera singers of our time, who are outstanding as actress and actor as well. In the case of Elina Garanca, her impressive dancing abilities must also be mentioned. They are also each other's perfect partners. Their interaction is full of fire and passion. You can feel the characters’ emotions and understand their motivations, and, even though we are speaking of a very well-known and often seen opera, you will positively hold your breath as the plot progresses towards the final tragedy.I also find the supporting cast very strong. Barbara Frittoli’s Micaela is sweet and heartwarming. The Toreador (Teddy Tahu Rhodes) is, on the vocal front, relatively less exciting but still enjoyable, and I really like the fact that, overall, he comes across as much more than just your iconic alpha male – as a human being you can sympathize with.As for the staging, the plot is – thankfully – not „modernized”, thus it is allowed to keep its timeless, original message intact. The setting has an air of adequate realism. Here Seville is really Seville, the mountains are mountains, and the characters are exactly who they should be, yet (surprise, surprise), you do NOT get the feeling that you are watching something old-fashioned or conventional – in fact, quite on the contrary! The performance gives the audience a thrilling experience of something "never seen before" while staying perfectly true to the original spirit of Bizet's masterpiece.I wholeheartedly recommend this DVD to all who love this opera – and to all who want to fall in love with it. Bizet: Carmen (Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Elina Garanca) [DVD] [2010] [NTSC

There are times when a truly great opera singer emerges, way above the common mediocrity, who is so pleasing to watch. Elina Garanca has taken the world stage with enormous success. She is vocally a great singer, but at the same time she is an incredible actress that can at last bring life to any opera she performs. Of all the available versions of Bizet's opera, this is the one to have, entirely because Elina Garanca is better than any other Carmen one is likely to see. Her singing is superb throughout the opera, with a good French accent, something rare in performances of Carmen. In fact a big plus of this performance is the good French of most of the principals, Garanca, Alagna and Frittoli.Elina Garanca is involved in the opera. Her acting is so good and she moves about the stage in a very convincing way, even when she is not singing, like the card song of the other two gypsies. She brings humour and drama in every note.As to the rest of the cast, Roberto Alagna is a very good Don Jose, both vocally and in terms of acting. This in fact must be one of his best performances, as he can be below standard at times. Barbara Frittoli sings and acts an excellent Michaela. Teddy Tahu Rhodes, as Escamillo is the big disappointment. He has a strong voice, but his French is pretty bad and his acting non-existent. He was a last minute replacement and as such perhaps one should not complain too much. The other two gypsies, Eddy playing Mercedes and Caballero playing Frasquita are very good and the rest of the cast are good but not exceptional. The chorus, unfortunately as to be expected from an American Opera House, have poor French. The conductor, Yannick Nezet-Seguin is very energetic, keeps the music flowing and gets a very good sound out of the Metropolitan opera orchestra.The score used is mostly the one with the Guiraud recitatives, with hardly any dialogue, which I found very pleasing.The producer, Richard Eyre, obviously has directed his singers in an excellent way on how to move about the stage and how to act their roles. He does disappoint in the finale, where he introduces religious motives for Don Jose to save Carmen and the whole ending is badly done and unconvincing. A pity for an otherwise near perfect performance. The set and costumes by Rob Howell, are simply bad, if not ridiculous. He and the produced Richard Eyre manage to have the entire cigarette factory in act one inside a well! Also most of the chorus and some of the principals are smoking way after the relevant point in the story.The sound and the picture quality are superb. All in all, the best Carmen on DVD, we are likely to see for years to come.

Elina Garanca smoulders her way through this Carmen, ably and beautifully backed up by Roberto Alagna in a role he has made his own on many occasions. Richard Eyre's production gives a wonderful stage to work on, remarkable in its ingenuity. Thoroughly recommended.

Always a fan of Anna Netrebko, this Carmen with Elina Garanca gives Anna great competition. If you like good opera, good music and singing, this is the one to go for. Very well cast. Highly recommend.

I have always loved this opera, in common with millions of other fans, but this is my favourite production. Having become a fan of Elina Garanca fairly recently I didn't know what to expect but now I am delighted that I took a chance.