Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture

An Outing to the Opera

Probably the most widely known opera is Carmen, written by Georges Bizet (score) and Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy (libretto). The story actually comes from a short novella written by Prosper Merimee. Though there are other operas out there that compete for the spot of most known, I would argue that people of all ages and from all walks of life will be able to hum along to the Habañera or the Toreador’s song. That being said, not everyone knows the story of Carmen, so let me enlighten you.

I myself hadn’t seen the opera for many years, so going to the Metropolitan Opera was not only a treat, but a great refresher in terms of reminding me of the story and bringing back memories of when I saw it back at Great Neck South High School with Nikki Blonsky playing the lead heroine. The story is about power struggle. Carmen (Anita Rachvelishvili), a gypsy woman from Seville, captures every man’s attention and is given the power to choose who she wants to be with. Don Jose (Yonghoon Lee) is a Spanish soldier stationed in Seville, and though he has a girlfriend Micaela (Kate Royal), he is smitten with Carmen and becomes tragically attached to her charm. Carmen forces him to leave the army – by tempting Jose to free her after her arrest, Jose gets locked up himself. Don Jose joins Carmen and her gypsy friends in smuggling, but leaves when he finds out that his mother is ill and dying. In his leaving, Carmen feels betrayed and decides to couple up with the handsome toreador Escamillo (Kyle Ketelsen). Of course, this leads to her tragic end, as Don Jose cannot cope with his loss of Carmen and in the end stabs her.

At a quick overview of the libretto, it would seem that it is based on the idea of love. Carmen professes her love very quickly throughout the entire performance. Don Jose, as well, confesses his love for multiple women. But there is also an idea of a power struggle. Don Jose isn’t a general or a lieutenant, but merely a soldier following orders. He also follows orders from his mother – “yes, I will marry Micaela.” Is he drawn to Carmen because she is yet another powerful and dominating figure?

But, let me not get carried away with the analytic talk of my Arts in NYC class. How was my experience? How was the performance? I have never, in my life, sat so high in a theatre before. When I’ve been to the opera before, it was an adventure to climb all the way up to nosebleed heaven during intermission. I didn’t have to wait until intermission this time! It was a bit difficult to see the action on stage, and I really missed the facial expression of the actors. What I thought was really amazing was how the supertitles were no longer above the stage as I’ve seen in previous performances at the adjacent Koch Theatre. The words were right in front of my seat! I must say though, I was very disappointed during the first act, and not at any fault of the actors or director. In previous two classes leading up to the opera, we viewed segments of the performance. The DVD that was available was of the exact same production. Being in a dark theatre, very high up, at the hour of eight in the evening, I couldn’t help but let my eyes droop as I had so recently seen the entire first act. That being said, I really enjoyed the entire experience and I believe going to the Metropolitan Opera House is a treat no matter who you are!

Carmen
October 18, 2012
The Metropolitan Opera House

Marina B. Nebro