Opera Australia has announced an initial tranche of movie theaters around the world which will broadcast their Carmen on Sydney Harbor. The annual "HANDA Opera" event, on a floating stage this year, showcases Bizet's most (only?) popular opera.
(Well, we don't count Georges' other sort-of-hit, The Pearl Fishers--which has a following, but isn't actually all that good, two great numbers aside.)
As has become de rigeur for event productions of Carmen, there's a spectacular set and flamenco dancing. But unlike many, there's also a seriously fine cast.
In the title role is Rinat Shaham, the Israeli mezzo-soprano who has very probably played this part more than any other singer currently active.
"Rinat Shaham is a sensation," the respected U.K. critic Edward Seckerson wrote on her appearance in the role at Glyndebourne.
"I've never been one for note-perfect Carmens--this one uses the music like promises and threats, coaxing, cajoling, insinuating, bending the melody, shamelessly exploiting the chesty rasp of her bottom notes. The color of the voice is just about as dusky as it gets, but it's the way that it is an extension of her body and soul and language--the vernacular--that really grabs you."
Her turn in Sydney drew similarly admiring reviews. Australia's Limelight was moved to write, "an outstanding Carmen, svelte and sexy and with a voice that you can imagine good men dying for...a force of nature."
Also in the cast are Dmytro Popov as Don Jose, Andrew Jones as Escamillo and Nicole Car as Micaela.
The conductor is Brian Castles-Onion, the director Gale Edwards.
Although U.S. dates have yet to be announced, cinema showings are listed for the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Norway, Romania, Switzerland and, of course, Australia.
Finally, do check out this rather tantalizing trailer:
