My brief review of the Met's Carmen

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Sunday, November 21. 2010

My brief review of the Met's Carmen

I think I could direct Carmen myself, every tuneful note is so familiar to me. Bizet is the Elton John of opera.

The story is just a vehicle for the tunes. Naive soldier falls in love with hot gypsy babe, deserts the army and joins the gypsy criminal band. Fickle, promiscuous gypsy babe changes her mind and runs off with studly matador. Naive guy is distraught and kills gypsy lady. Too bad - he has now destroyed his life. A cautionary tale about hot gypsy babes.

It's in French but set in Spain for the fun of it, and so Bizet could use that cool Toreador song he had in his drawer.

The opera is too long to tell such a simple tale, but Bizet was full of tunes.

I thought Galanca was excellent, but Cabell as Micaela stole the show. The sets were an amazing blend of neo and traditional, with lighting that Robert Wilson would envy. Dinner in the Grand Tier was excellent, of course. We had the Gateau Opera at intermission. What else would you have?

A fine birthday for our friend.

Posted by Bird Dog in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 02:09 | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0)

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Wow! It looks like it's actually set in the original time and place - unlike the "conceptual" reworked stagings that plague modern opera.

I guess they don't mess with bread-n-butter operas like Carmen.

#1 Ben David on 2010-11-21 02:23 (Reply)

I always have earworms of Carmen running through my brains. Da, da, dat, dat...da, da dat, dat. You must have had a wonderful time. We all should have sure thoughtful friends.

#2 jma (Link) on 2010-11-21 03:15 (Reply)

I wrote to the WSJ, when Manuela Hoelterhoff reviewed Disney World, that it figured that an opera lover would like the park.

The last decent opera was Monteverdi L'Orfeo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wni1GVRlMtc

which is more early music than opera.

#3 rhhardin (Link) on 2010-11-21 07:33 (Reply)

I take it that my usual garb of flannel shirt, jeans, boots and Resistol cowboy hat wouldn't have been proper attire for something like this? :>)

#4 Tom Francis on 2010-11-21 07:48 (Reply)

And here I was thinking it looked less dressy than 45 years ago when SRO tickets were a couple of bucks.

#4.1 chuck on 2010-11-21 13:00 (Reply)

Yes, less dressy than it used to be, but a suit and tie is right and respectful for Sat nite.

#4.1.1 Bird Dog on 2010-11-21 13:20 (Reply)

I fell hard for Carlos Saura's flamenco version of Carmen. Not everyone's cuppa, but I dig it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0MIAf1Gjuk

#5 cato the elder on 2010-11-22 13:34 (Reply)

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Sunday, November 21. 2010

My brief review of the Met's Carmen