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September 27, 2000
Focus
Page 5
The Focus
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Portland Opera Opens with Carmen
Portland O p era's 36,h A nniver
sary season opens with a bang as
Carm en - one o f the m ost beloved
and frequently perform ed operas
o f all tim e - ignites the stage. W hen
B izet’s opera first appeared in 1875,
it shocked audiences w ith its bla
tant sexuality and violence. Today,
the story o f the w illful gypsy and
her jealous lover still packs a punch.
“C arm en is one o f those rare
quintessential operas that has it all,”
says P ortland O pera G eneral D i
rector Robert Bailey. “W ith m em o
rable tunes, a fast m oving story
line, and im aginative sets by John
C onklin w ho designed The C un
ning L ittle Vixen last season. It’s a
p iece th a t’s perfect for both first
tim e o p era -g o e rs and seasoned
fans.”
C arm en is a riveting, tightly
w oven tale o f passion, fate and be
trayal. A bove all, it is the story o f an
unforgettable heroine. In a restric-
tive society, C arm en is a vibrant,
defiant w om an w ho m akes her own
rules. In one o f her m ost fam ous
arias, “The H abanera," she declares
that “ love is a w ild bird that cannot
be tam ed." C arm en h erse lf is a free
spirit w ho w ould rather risk death
than be caged by any man.
The action takes place in Seville
in the 1820s. Don Jose, a soldier, is
p led g ed to b e m a rrie d to y o u n g
M i c a e l a a c c o r d i n g to h is
m o th e r ’s d y in g w ish . E v e r y
th in g c h a n g e s w h e n h e m e e ts
C a rm e n , a p r o v o c a tiv e g y p sy
w h o s e d u c e s h im an d le a d s h im
in to a life o f crim e . W hen she
discards him for a dashing b u ll
fighter, Don Jo se’s passion turns
m urderous.
Carmen com bines a dram atic li
bretto, based on the novel by Pros
per M érim ée, with a score w ritten
by Bizet at the height o f his genius.
Even those seeing Carmen for the
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first tim e will instantly recognize
such celebrated pieces as “The T o
reador Song" and "T he H abanera"
fro m
film
and
te le v is io n
soundtracks.
B ecause o f the popularity o f
B izet’s m usic, his role as a m usical
in n o v a to r is o ften o v erlo o k e d .
“ B izet was a m averick,” says Stage
D irector James M cnamara. “He was
w illing to break w ith traditional
operatic form s in order to heighten
dram atic tension.” Today w e take
B ize t’s rev o lu tio n ary vision for
granted, but his unconventional
approach put him ahead o fh is time.
Check your local telephone directory
for the agent nearest you.
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