Opera Report-Carmen(Bizet) - Essay Example

? The presentation of “Carmen” is one which held several characteristics that were appealing to the audience. The program was held at the San Diego Civic Theater on May 14, 2011 and was performed by the San Diego opera. The atmosphere was based on a formal occasion for the presentation of the opera. The hall size was medium to large and has a capacity of holding 2,967 people plus has room for the orchestra pit and main stage. The theater had chandeliers and a set of fine arts accents making the event seem more formal. The audience followed through with the formal occasion and the atmosphere that was noted from the dresses worn included fancier and wealthy looking clothing. These combined aspects made the atmosphere serious and created a different setting for the event. The name of the liberettist was Nino Surguladze and plays the role of Carmen from the 1875 opera written by Bizette. The opera is set in Spain where Surguldaze plays a gypsy that smuggles items. The opposing voice is Richard Leech, who plays the tenor in the opera as Don Jose. There is also the part of Micaela, a soprano played by Talise Trevigne and which acts as the fiance of Don Jose. Wayne Tigges, the second tenor, plays the man in which Carmen falls in love with and which leads to her final tragedy. The performance forces that are associated with this include an orchestra. The opera program follows the main names of those who are in the opera as well as in the orchestra. The program is also inclusive of the main plot line and the concepts related to the performance. There is also a section for sponsors, donations and affiliations that are a part of the opera and which provided support for the presentation. The plot summary is included in the program specifically because the performance is in French. The plot includes Carmen, who is a gypsy that is known for stealing around the country. Don Jose (tenor), falls in love with Carmen and joins the group. This is done, despite the opposition from Jose’s family and from his mother. Jose stays with Carmen because he has fallen for her. However, Carmen is in love with another man, which leads to Jose becoming jealous and killing her in the bull ring because of this conflict. The performance could be followed when understanding this particular plot line. However, the details of the performance and the various understandings of each of the musical pieces, despite translations being available, were difficult to follow because of the language differences and atmosphere of the theater. Before going to the performance, I didn’t read about the work or other information from an approved source. Most of the performance aspects were unfamiliar to me, such as what to expect, how the opera would be, what the setting would be and the approach which would be taken. The performance conventions which surprised me were based on my unfamiliarity with the opera and the plot of Carmen. I didn’t know that it would be in French or would have the amount of work which went into the various pieces. I also had assumed that opera was based more on the singing; however, this particular style used a large amount of acting and movement on the stage. This was refreshing; however, it was also unexpected. The musical and dramatic elements that were in the opera were based on the characteristics of being in Spain and belonging to the Gypsy race. This is heard from the beginning overture and leads throughout the various works. The first example of this is “Habanera,” in which Carmen announces her love to the village. The main element is the rhythm, which keeps a Spanish dance beat of 1, 3, 4 with a slight accent on the “and” between the 3 and 4. This is combined with the simplistic melody which follows over this and which is led by Carmen. During this point, the lighting is strong and depicts happiness with the dancing and announcement which Carmen makes. The second example of music which follows this characteristic is “Toreador Song” also known as the drinking song. When hearing the orchestra, there is a direct association with the Spanish nationalistic style, specifically heard through the harmonies of the trumpets and string instruments. This also carries the same rhythmic undertone of “Habanera,” which has the dance elements and rhythmic accents. When the orchestra is highlighting the singing of Don Jose, this follows with the accents on 2 and 3 which are heard through continuous eighth notes. This is followed by a sub-melody to the singing. The combination of musical techniques is one which highlights both the Spanish ideologies of nationalism with the classical period theories. The stage and setting of this song holds the same excitement and happiness with the lighting being strong to set the mood. The opera is one which moves through these main ideologies of rhythm and melody with the ability to highlight different parts of the opera. At some points, this is used to show a thought process or actions which need to be taken through the figures in the opera. At other times, this highlights a dramatic feature or set of emotions that is in the opera. For instance, the final scene in Carmen works with the emotions to highlight what is about to happen. This begins with the orchestration beginning the bullfight, which consists of faster paced rhythms and movements as well as cultural aspects which signify the entertainment and danger of the bullfight. This is heard and accented until the end of the opera. However, this becomes the sub-melody when Carmen meets Don Jose outside of the bull ring where she confesses her love to someone else. At this point, the mood changes into one that is more dramatic. The orchestra follows this with longer tones that follow the melody, move with more dramatic dynamics and then modulates to a minor key after Carmen states she loves another man. The orchestra moves between the two keys with the confession of Don Jose’s love and Carmen rejecting his offer. This conflict leads to the final dramatic highlight with the orchestration playing in a minor key then moving into the thematic song which is from the bull fight. Contrasting highlights the emotions and the end result while the thematic song of the bull fight and the excitement of this part lead to the contrast of the main drama. The orchestration works to highlight these several emotions into the end of the opera. The lighting and the setting become secondary with this while the orchestration sets the mood for the final scene. The overall reaction which I had to the performance was one which was captivating by the talent of the group and the music which was a part of each scene. The highlights were based on the orchestration and the melodies that were heard in the performance. These were entertaining and it interested me to find how the acting and the sets fit with the overall musical production. However, only following the basic parts of the melody line and trying to listen to the music also led to some difficulties in completely being captivated by the performance and understanding what was occurring. The thoughts then went back and forth with interest with the music that were followed by misunderstandings of the performance. Overall, I enjoyed the performance and was captivated by the talent and the music which was performed. While some points were difficult to understand, the parts of the music and the production led to enjoyment and left me captivated with the overall concepts of the opera. Works Cited Bizet, George. Carmen, the Opera. Bizet, Georges, David Foil, William Berger. Carmen. Routledge: New York, 2005. Read More