The Politics of Art & Authenticity

When I was reading the voice of Carmen in class, I tried to imagine the emotion she would have beneath her words but it was extremely hard to visualize. The story starts quickly, jumping into the life of Carmen with no warning, no nothing, and suddenly all men were entranced by this woman. I could not help but chuckle at the cheesiness and ridiculousness of it.

http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/1346436764-Opera-Cheat-Sheet-Carmen.html

Hearing the words sang, especially in French, was an entirely different story. It felt richer, deeper, more layered… and it just made more sense. The plot is not as simple and one sided as I first believed. There was more conflict and social commentary involved than just a troubled romance. Though I did not like her character, I liked how complex Carmen turned out to be.

It was my first time in an Opera house and I could not have attended a better production to see first. I enjoyed myself very much. Granted that I almost dozed at a few points (Don Jose’s voice was just so soothing!), I watched and listened in awe at the strong lungs of all the performers on stage. I remember thinking that if I had to compete with any of them, even one of the children, in one of those games where you hold out a word as long as you possibly can, I would not stand a chance.

Carmen was a wonderful and worthwhile performance. I plan on walking up those red steps and seeing more operas in the future. Maybe I would be able to make my way one floor down at a time until I can sit and see the actual faces of the actors and actresses.

I also applaud all the other workers who put time and sweat into this production. I was truly impressed.