Spain San Sebastián Music Fortnight – Bizet, Carmen: Easo Chorus, Euskadi Orchestra / José Miguel Pérez Sierra (conductor). Auditorio Kursaal, San Sebastián, Spain, 10.8.2024. (JMI)
Production:
Director – Emilio López
Sets – Carmen Castañón
Costumes – Óscar Frosio
Lighting – Naiara Béistegui
Cast:
Carmen – Rihab Chaieb
Don José – Dmytro Popov
Micaëla – Miren Urbieta-Vega
Escamillo – Simón Orfila
Mercédès – Marifé Nogales
Frasquita – Helena Orcoyen
Dancaïre – José Manuel Díaz
Remendado – Aitor Garitano
Zúñiga – Mikel Zabala
Morales – Juan Laborería
The San Sebastián Music Fortnight usually includes one opera in its program, and this year’s choice was the ever-popular Carmen, Georges Bizet’s masterpiece. The opera was last featured on the Fortnight’s program in 2008 with a Spanish cast.
The performance of this Carmen held very little interest. I have always considered that there are two genres in opera, buffo and drama, and key aspects of both types that are required for a performance to work. In buffo operas, comedy is basic, while in dramatic operas, there cannot be a lack of emotion. There is no doubt that Carmen belongs to the ‘drama’ genre, and there was a lack of emotion on all fronts here. Neither the production, nor the musical direction, nor the vocal cast were able to transmit the necessary feeling to the audience for them to enjoy the performance.
This new staging is directed by Valencian Emilio López. We saw his Madama Butterfly in San Sebastián a few years ago, and I did not find that satisfactory either. This disappointing Carmen places the action in the 1950s on a rather minimal stage – there is barely anything beyond a few props. This kind of set – practically nihilistic rather than minimalist – demands an outstanding stage direction, and the production fell flat there too.
There is no parade of cuadrillas, except for the entrance of Escamillo who, curiously, is not dressed as a bullfighter. The chorus is handled poorly, with half the members on the right and the others on the left, as if it were a concert. Nor is the direction of the actors of interest.
The music was in the hands of José Miguel Pérez Sierra, the current musical director of the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, whose agenda has been quite full in recent years. His conducting was more routine than brilliant, with excessive volume both in the pit and on the stage, which he should have avoided. The performances of the Euskadi Orchestra and the Easo Chorus were satisfactory.
Carmen was sung by Tunisian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, whose performance fell below my expectations. Her voice is ample although not particularly beautiful, and she does not convey emotion in either her singing or her acting – something very important in a character like Carmen.
Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov played Don José, and his performance was not convincing. His voice has fullness and the timbre is fine, but his singing is unattractive, with too many open sounds and in forte which does not suit the character of Don José very well. The always-awaited ‘Flower Song’ was of little interest. The best part of his performance came in Act III.
Micaëla was sung by a soprano from San Sebastián, Miren Urbieta-Vega who, of course, had the audience completely on her side. In fact, her aria in Act III was the one that received the greatest applause of the evening. However, I missed more nuanced singing from her.
Simón Orfila once again sang the part of Escamillo, which he has done so many times now on stage. His voice is nicely suited to the role, although it seems to me that it has lost some quality.
The supporting characters did well in their parts.
José M. Irurzun