One last thing: why on earth were we deprived of the children’s chorus “Avec la garde montante.SANTA FE, N.M. Musicians and choristers alike serve this glorious score with a seductive tingle of dramatic and forceful tension. In the pit, Maestro Harry Bicket conducts a superbly disciplined performance, fresh and revealing. Susanne Sheston can undoubtedly be commended for preparing the chorus to near perfection. Luke Sutliff (Le Dancaïre), Anthony León (Le Remendado), Magdalena Kuzma (Frasquita), Maire Therese Carmack (Mercédès) are irreproachable in the quintet of Act II: “Nous avons en tête une affaire.”Īlong with Leonard, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Chorus are the highlights of last night’s performance. One of her best moments is probably the second part of the Act II duet “Au quartier! Pour l’appel!” the other one is the card aria where she secures beautiful round low notes, particularly on “La mort.” Last but not least, her French is polished, which is not the case for the rest of the cast. From the Séguedille to the final duet, her voice and fiery defiance convince. Sylvia D’Eramo has a clear soprano, and her Micaëla would be superb should she stay away from some unwarranted powerful notes. He draws an eloquent portrait of the quintessential, self-conceited matador. Bass-baritone Michael Sumuel is an adequate Escamillo. His rendition of the flower aria is honorable, at best. Despite a ringing high register, the voice is hardly powerful enough, thus getting lost in ensembles. The part of Don José is written for a lyrical tenor, which White is not. Previously announced as Don José, tenor Bryan Hymel withdrew from this production “for personal reasons” and was replaced by Matthew White. Whether this staging is a stroke of genius remains arguable. Clément focuses on the themes of fate and violence, both at the crux of the matter in this opera. The approach is reminiscent of Peter Brook’s The Tragedy of Carmen presented at the Bouffes du Nord Theater in Paris in the early 1980s. The tragedy is hosted on a gloomy, ominous stage where the jubilant crowd is almost incongruous.

Here, she moves Carmen to the twenty-first century in a fun-fair setting with elements of roller-coaster tracks and cotton candy. She has worked with some of the most respected companies: Paris’s Opéra national and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, Madrid’s Teatro Real, and Geneva’s Grand Théâtre, to name just a few.

Over the past twenty years, French director Mariame Clément has garnered a solid reputation in the world of opera. The Santa Fe Opera (SFO) 2022 season had its grand opening last night with a new production of Carmen, passionately received by the audience, as you will only witness in Santa Fe. Mariame Clément (Director), Julia Hansen (Scenic and Costume Designer), Duane Schuler (Lighting Designer), Mathieu Guilhaumon (Choreographer), Rick Sordelet, Christian Kelly-Sordelet (Fight and Intimacy Directors) Santa Fe Opera Chorus, Susanne Sheston (Chorus Mistress), Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, Harry Bicket (Conductor)

Isabel Leonard (Carmen), Matthew White (Don José), Michael Sumuel (Escamillo), Sylvia D’Eramo (Micaëla), David Crawford (Zuniga), Darren Lekeith Drone (Moralès), Magdalena Kuzma (Frasquita), Maire Therese Carmack (Mercédès), Lilas Pastia, Luke Sutliff (Le Dancaïre), Anthony León (Le Remendado), Omen Thomas Sade (Lilas Pastia)

Santa fe opera carmen