Although the last time when the Vancouver Opera Bizet staged Bizet’s jaw-dropping opera, Carmen was already five years ago, we were thrilled to watch an encore of Carmen Live presented by the Metropolitan Opera, one of the most prestigious opera houses on earth, in 2010. Carmen, which was composed by Georges Bizet, is an immensely interesting opera for its atypical story and characters. No wonder when Carmen was first performed in 1875 that the audiences all felt scandalized by its unconventional content – and a flirtatious yet attractive character. Considered as the genre of opéra comique, Carmen is indeed a groundbreaking masterpiece in every way and has perpetually changed the perception of the development of western opera.
Carmen, the fictitious gypsy beauté portrayed by French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine in this Metropolitan production, became arguably the most famous seductress in the world of theatre and drama. There is no doubt that even though some of my peers were not able to see Carmen in person, they are familiar with this mesmerizing character and some of her acclaimed arias, such as “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle,” also known as Habanera in first Act. This aria was so powerful that it explicitly manifested Carmen’s life motto – eagerness and courage to embark on every journey of love, which would entangle her in two love affaires with two men, namely Don José and Escamillo, and eventually led her to a fatal destination.
My first impression of Carmen was also from this famous aria – performed by the eternal Maria Callas – so I had a strong preconceived standard about how this timeless tune should be sounded like. Surprisingly, I was so impressed with Clémentine’s performance that for a moment I stopped comparing her to Callas or other greatest sopranos I knew. It was only a little regretful that Habanera in this production was rather brief and insignificant in terms of propelling the narrative. In my personal opinion, this production will even be more captivating if the director chose to slow down the pace of the first act and highlight this mesmerizing aria, namely “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle,” or Habanera, as the audiences were all anxiously anticipated. Personally, I really looked forward to it because I had practiced the piano version of Habanera almost for a year when I was thirteen!
Although being a French opera, Carmen had an authentic Spanish touch not only because the story was set in southern Spain, but also through the music composition. Bizet had appropriated many Spanish elements to his music, for example, the famous aforementioned aria, Habanera, was based on a folk melody, “El Arreglito,” composed by a Spanish compare Sebastián Yradier. Rearrangements like this were numerous in Carmen, that Bizet had incorporated many Spanish folk melodies as well as the musical tradition that was associated with flamenco music. This inclusion of foreign elements might be accountable for the unique charm of Carmen and its enduring popularity.
However, Carmen was still a French opera which entertained four acts. Another most known melody in Carmen, namely the Toreador Song, ushered the bullfighter Escamillo into Act 2. From then on, the waggish love triangle between Escamillo, Carmen, and her former lover Don José began to unfold, lifting the curtain of a drama of love, hatred, crimes, outlaws, and murders. The whole plot was driven by the charming personality and passionate love affairs of a beautiful woman who was situated at the bottom of the society.
Clémentine’s portrayal of Carmen was ingenious and deserved the highest praise. Not only did her superb vocal techniques perfectly interpret all the arias and duets, which precipitated strong emotions, but also had her performance of this role as a whole made Carmen alive. This role was tough to play, as we perceived, that it involved a substantial portion of dancing, acting, and flirting; it required the actor to utterly forsake her own identity and immerse in the proletarian environment of Carmen, surrounded by soldiers, prostitutes, and smugglers. Despite all the seeming difficulties, I was appalled and genuinely impressed by Clémentine’s performance. She became Carmen herself on stage, in spirit, and from every meticulous detail.
Overall, I was very grateful that I was able to enjoy a world-class rendition of Carmen Live by the Metropolitan Opera without buying very pricy tickets. I suppose it might be the best way for young people like us to freely explore the world of opera – to watch films of opera Live in a movies theatre is affordable and will not sacrifice too much of our viewing experiences. At least for this time, the vivid character of Carmen as a complicated, mesmerizing, and lovable woman has planted a seed in my head; she will continuously appear and inspire me in the future.