Bizet, Carmen: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of  Welsh National Opera, Michal Klauza (conductor) Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff 11.05.2007 (MS)

 

It may only be a matter of weeks since this show was last staged by Welsh National Opera (and reviewed by Glyn Pursglove Ed.) but there are sufficient - and significant – cast changes to make it well worth revisiting.

This latest revival of the 1997 production of Carmen, by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, is the first at WMC since the smoking ban came into force. But I assume they were either fake cigarettes or the ban doesn’t apply to the opera stage – I could have sworn it did when the production was recently staged  in Scotland.  But this is of little consequence. What did matter was the splendid singing of Gwynne Hughes Jones as Don José and the dramatic interpretations of the  gypsy femme fatale by Imelda Drumm.

The production remains a  rather dark and gloomy take on Andalucia with the very first scene showing hot and dishevelled soldiers in the square in Seville with grimy, tobacco smoke stained walls. Similarly, when the cigarette girls appear they are sweaty equally dishevelled although definitely  real women. These are not precious middle class ladies, rather they hoist their skirts to their knees, puff on their fags and have a good old flirt with the soldiers.

Imelda Drumm’s Carmen is slightly less animalistic then Sara Fulgoni’s  was last season. So while she still head butts Don José in the way an animal might,  she doesn’t quite scratch the earth with her feet like a bull and equally holds back from being such a snarling she-cat.

A real revelation was soprano Yolande Auyanet as a sure-voiced Micaëla. She might be the sickly sweet good girl from Don José’s home town but she has much dignity and stage presence. Charlotte Ellett and Antonia Sotgiu remain the strong women with fire as well as strong Spanish tipple in their bellies.

Imposing Paul Whelan made  an Escamillo with plenty of pizzazz as he plays the Andalucian version of a Beckham with swooning gals and adoring men. Reprising the role of the lieutenant Zuniga David Soar has this role down to a tee, convincing as the wily officer and also lecherous lad.  Alun Rhys Jenkins and Owen Webb made for a fine pair of smugglers, balancing menace with sparkles of humour. In such an  excellent ensemble piece, both vocally and dramatically the chorus of WNO chorus is rarely better.

I took an 11-year-old to see his first full-scale opera and it proved the perfect choice. But such is Carmen’s 'bums on seats'  appeal (in a rather otherwise somewhat esoteric season) you may well have to wait for yet another revival to get your hands on tickets.

Conductor Michal Klauza again delights in Bizet’s score but the audience could be a little more considerate of those of us who actually want to hear the orchestra’s contribution between scenes and acts. On the night I attended there was an unwelcome but common belief that you could just chatter away merrily as long as there were no singers on stage.

There are further performances on May 23, 31 at  the Wales Millennium Centre.



Mike Smith