Carmen set to captivate
09/10/2012
Opera Queensland’s powerful production of Carmen will debut its seven-performance season on Friday, 26 October at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre.
Originally created for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Francesca Zambello’s Carmen delivers on all that is Spanish, spectacular and erotic, but also examines the epic themes underpinning the opera.
“Carmen is about real-life stuff that everyone can relate to: relationships gone bad, passionate affairs, jealousy, violence and plain bad timing,” says Lindy Hume, Opera Queensland’s Artistic Director.
“But at the heart of the story, it’s about why that man killed this woman. If you take the Don José side of the argument, he was provoked by her mockery and infidelity. But I’m unashamedly in Carmen’s corner. She doesn’t define herself through society or relationships and her love is independent. She chooses the way in which she will live, love and die – and that’s what makes her so exciting for audiences.”
Bizet’s iconic tale of passion unfolds when a fight breaks out at a cigarette factory in a Seville square, and Carmen – a gypsy – is arrested by the soldier Don José. Carmen quickly seduces him but like many before him, Don José’s attempts to tame the freedom-loving beauty are futile. His obsession with her turns to murderous rage when she leaves him for the famous toreador, Escamillo.
Carmen is one of the greatest operas of all time - and a feast for all the senses.
For more information, visit www.qpac.com.au.