Being that I am a classical mezzo-soprano singer myself, walking into the Metropolitan Opera to watch Carmen made me extremely excited. Since my junior year of high school, I had always wanted to watch the opera Carmen, especially since I sang as her in one of my high school musicales. I felt as though finally getting to watch it live in the biggest opera house in the world would be one of the greatest learning experiences for me, and it was. In fact, I was so moved by the production that at some points, I even got emotional, especially since performing the role of Carmen has remained one of my dreams since I last performed as her in high school.
(Above is the video of me performing as Carmen. I’m in the middle, wearing black. We’re singing the quintet called, “Nous avons en tete une affaire” which is performed in act II of Carmen. **sorry for the horrible quality**)
As soon as the show began, there was only one character I was anticipating to listen to, and that was Carmen. I already knew about what her entrance would be like since I had already watched and listened to the famous aria “Habanera” numerous times on youtube by different opera singers. However, I was wondering how this opera singer in particular, Anita Rachvelishvili, would interpret it—and once she began singing, I was quite surprised. Anita Rachvelishvili left me speechless with the way she sensually sang the famous aria. Her rich and dark colored voice, use of dynamics, and acting in this piece gave me goosebumps all over and left me on the edge of my seat. What made her performance of this piece so unique to me was how well she sang it quietly. I originally expected it to be sung in a mezzo-forte dynamic, however, she sang it more pianissimo—which I felt lured the audience in even more. Her acting in this piece was also quite interesting to me. The way she touched her leg and washed it over a bucket of water, was a little weird at first, but sure did capture the idea of how “sexy” the character of Carmen is supposed to be. By the end of her performing this aria, I could definitely understand why everyone falls in love with Carmen. She is her own woman, “a rebellious bird that nobody can tame,” and a diva.
As the show went on, I continued to find everything to be wonderful. All of the singers in this production were phenomenal and along with Carmen, I was also greatly moved by the woman who played Micaela named Anita Hartig. Although her role was small, every time she appeared, her light soprano voice would make my eyes widen. The sadness she conveyed in her appearance in Act III, singing “Air de Micaela,” left me in awe and it was amazing to me how well she sang those high notes so subtly and lusciously. Along with her, I also thought the man who sang as Don Jose named Aleksandrs Antonenko, was incredible as well. In the end, when he was desperately trying to win Carmen back in the final scene, I felt as though his emotions were so raw. He showed the desperation he had for Carmen effectively, especially in the way he passionately sang to her, trying to win her back. His performance with Carmen in that final scene, although very sad, was also very stirring and showed the audience just how crazy Don Jose was for Carmen.
Overall, I think everything about this opera was marvelous and I would definitely go back to the opera to watch even more different productions, just like I have in the past. Although expensive, I believe opera is for everyone. I wish it was more accessible to people in every class because it is an art form which showcases how incredible the human voice can be through romance, comedy, and tragedy. It is also an art form which I feel can musically educate many through the different languages it is sung in and through the numerous ways the music is written and performed. There are so many amazing and interesting components involved in opera that should be known to everyone, and because of this I hope opera never dies. It is too grand of an art form, which can educate many about classical music, to die.
