In Carmen, as in almost any other production, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It wasn’t just the incredible projection of voices that caught my attention – the orchestra and set also stole my attention for much of the show.

As any scene began, the enormous fortress-looking set could not go unnoticed. It was potentially more than two stories high, with steps, and two separate pieces that seemed to mesh together perfectly into one layered setting. It made me realize how many people contributed to the magnificent production. 

Notice the set in the background here

The music in Bizet’s Carmen is phenomenal. It is filled with songs that we’ve all heard in other forms of media without knowing its origin. The music is surprisingly catchy – I whistled and hummed to myself on the subway for over an hour. As the show is exclusively in song (reminding me of Les Mis), the orchestra plays an enormous role throughout. The orchestra sets the tone in every scene, it uses drastic dynamics for different moods. For example, a soft, quite dynamic suggests a sweet, somewhat innocent mood. The stronger, deep, loud parts are usually declarations or parts of high intensity (aided by at least 6 upright bases).

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the opera – much more than I expected. Whereas I thought I would be sleeping within the first hour, I found myself not being able to look away from the stage for very long. I focussed on the vocals, set, and individual instruments when possible. I enjoyed the plot and character development, as well as the pieces put together to create this unique experience.