Carmen, Vesselina Kasarova, Zurich 8-07-2011

Acte 3 sc 1 L'air des cartes
Donnez, que j'essaie à mon tour.

(Elle se met à tourner les cartes. ­ Musique de scène.)
-------Carreau! Pique! [tournant encor les cartes] La mort!
J'ai bien lu!..

En vain, pour éviter les réponses amères,
en vain tu mêleras!
Cela ne sert à rien, les cartes sont sincères
et ne mentiront pas!
Dans le livre d'en haut si ta page est heureuse,
mêle et coupe sans peur,
la carte sous tes doigts se tournera joyeuse,
t'annonçant le bonheur.
Mais si tu dois mourir, si le mot redoutable
est écrit par le sort,
recommence vingt fois, la carte impitoyable
répétera: la mort!
Oui, si tu dois mourir, recommence vingt fois,
la carte impitoyable
répétera: la mort!
[tournant les cartes]
encor!.. encor!.. toujours la mort!------

Here, normally I am moved, but that night at the Opernhaus, from my central seat with a complete view of the orchestra, the stage and the singers' attitudes and feelings if not face- expressions, (but I do not go to the opera to see face -close ups)I felt in rapture with this guttural voice when it is at the edge of her tremendous low range, this rough and subtle way of going through the French words and her soaring cello like voice in the high range with so much radiance and warmth, which made her Carmen irresistible. Vesselina Kasarova in her black dress with only a red rose on the side of her bun set low on her neck, looked like a sacrificial goddess, a fascinating apparition kneeling at the front of the stage, uttering several times the terrible and fatal 'La mort'. At that point the audience was absolutely with her sharing the fate, a Greek invention... and a thunder of applause came like a relief after such a terrible burden: her freedom she is so proud of is giving way to the fatum, as ridiculous as this game of cards, where she foresees her end and Don José end too, she believes in the fate inscribed in a pack of cards... very moving Vesselina, I cannot describe... only the music of her voice can, this short live pays tribute to her amazing rich voice if not to her dramatic playing, intense, contained, terribly elegant like a Greek goddess victim of fatal love.
I really enjoyed this modern production even if some crude gestures from the modern looking police forces (meant to be la Garde!!!) made me laugh with some sort of exasperation! I must say Vesselina has also short witty gestures. For her first habanera, a fast swirl of her hand on the trala la... was almost like winking at us to say'of course you all know that don't you'! before launching herself into her own version, fantastic ... like poisonous fragrances! I had some trouble due to plane delay at the last minute to arrive on time to the performance.. I was all worked up but so happy to be there and now I know how amazing that performance was, I dread to think I very well could have missed the beginning of it...I did not ask the cards though.
Don José-Thiago Arancam proved better and better as the drama went on and the Third and fourth acts were just really overwhelming for the two of them. Escamillo was also worth discovering sung by Massimo Cavalletti, who had the panache for the role. I had fun when I discovered the rather sexy looking Micaëla- Isabel Rey (normally they all look so prudish)here she is even deprived of her dress (a very short black one) by the members of the police...and appeared in her white laced corset and petticoat... the police members are more interested in pornographic magazines than anything else...rather refreshing but a bit heavy though during the first act... perhaps very true to the general mental capacity of police forces these days... funny to find such critical views on an opera stage. (I enjoyed this kind of perverted vision!)

That was a performance to remember in a very special place: I am not surprised that Cecilia Bartoli always performs her new roles in Zürich opernhaus, it is a real architectural jewel with great acoustics for both orchestra and voices. I found the house even nicer than Garnier, opening on to the lake, and facing the mountains. The building yard in front of it is a bit of a nuisance... at the moment.
From the Opernhaus site:

Carmen Bizet

In französischer Sprache mit deutscher und englischer Übertitelung
Mit Unterstützung von Evelyn und Herbert Axelrod
Conductor
Zsolt Hamar
Producer/production
Matthias Hartmann
Set design
Volker Hintermeier
Costumes
Su Bühler
Lighting
Martin Gebhardt
Choir rehearsal
Ernst Raffelsberger
Choreography
Teresa Rotemberg
Orchestra
Orchester der Oper Zürich
Choir
Chor der Oper Zürich
Mit

Vesselina Kasarova (Carmen), Isabel Rey (Micaëla), Sen Guo (Frasquita), Judith Schmid (Mercédès); Thiago Arancam (Don José), Massimo Cavalletti (Escamillo), Morgan Moody (Zuniga), Boguslaw Bidzinski (Remendado), Davide Fersini (Dancaïro), Gabriel Bermudez (Moralès)

""She has long become a legend – Carmen, the freedom-loving gypsy girl who finally pays for her liberty and independence with her life. To this day, the variety of this music, in which bright lyricism, radiant insouciance and humour can be found as well as demonically profound drama. Mediterranean clarity is combined with a sensuality that never becomes sentimental. Nothing about the score of “Carmen” is conventional; everything is characterised by an immediate, impetuous originality of inspiration and execution.""

My deep regret is the lack of actual photos of this cast in the programme, the 2011 one ... it is strange to use the 2008 black and white pictures...Vesselina looked so attractive in her short black dress with the red rose on the side of her hair...What a relief to have hardly any Spanish references in this modern staging; it gave more efficiency to the drama in terms of universality and humanity.
That night of July the 8th was a great one for Vesselina and all members of the cast. I loved this Carmen a lot.