Why we love “Carmen”

Dayton Opera will stage grand opera May 19 & May 21

We can understand why corporal Don Jose and bullfighter Escamillo are desperately in love with Carmen: she’s sexy, gorgeous, irresistable. Over the years and around the globe, millions of opera-lovers have fallen under her spell as well.

In anticipation of the Dayton Opera’s upcoming production, we’ve invited those involved to tell us about their own love affair with “Carmen.” The musical drama will be on stage Friday, May 19, and Sunday, May 21 at the Schuster Center.

AUDREY BABCOCK

Carmen, mezzo-soprano

I have performed the role of Carmen in 33 productions and well over 100 performances. I return to Carmen because she is a challenge I will never “perfect.” She is epic in her ferocity and yet simultaneously charming and enchanting. Finding that mix — and in which moments to switch between them — and with new colleagues all around — is a puzzle of dramaturgy I am eager to explore again and again.

When I was 18 I had the most random collection of opera recordings you could imagine but one that managed to come my way was Maria Callas’s “Carmen.” This recording was everything to me. I had a theatre background as well as an instrumental background and the two were just starting to come together in my mind and I was in love.

There are so many true challenges in this role but the big thing is pacing for the rehearsal process. I do not give it all until performance time. Once the curtain comes up on a performance however, I save nothing. Playing her is like training for a marathon. The opera — like Carmen herself — is like catnip.

THOMAS BANKSTON

Dayton Opera artistic director

“Carmen” is a great entry point for the opera first-timer because it is truly a grand opera experience with a great story — and English surtitles so you always know what’s happening! It has great and recognizable music, beautiful dancing, great choruses and orchestra. It has it all!

“Carmen” is the “C” of the ABC’s of opera — “Aida,” “La Boheme” and “Carmen.” It’s that sure bet that people want to experience again and again. It’s also the “Signature Event” across the whole Dayton Performing Arts Alliance — The Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra are all showcased wonderfully.

FENLON LAMB

Stage director

“Carmen” is like being a kid in a candy shop with all the sweets laid out before me. I get to paint pictures on the stage with every color and texture possible in a musical atmosphere that truly embraces the passions and struggles of its characters. I find this fantastic confluence of elements to be the most exciting element of directing opera and “Carmen” in particular.

DOMINIC ARMSTRONG

Don Jose in “Carmen,” tenor

Don José is such a visceral reactor and such an emotional guy. He has such empathy and cares so much for the people around him, to the point that it drives him mad. These are the characters I enjoy playing onstage because in many ways it’s a cathartic release for me.

Along with the music, I think that one of the many reasons opera continues to endure today is that audiences rarely get to see live spectacle. “Carmen” is one of those operas that as intimate as it becomes, will always have these great scenes and spectacle. It’s not something we get from a screen much these days. A feast for the eyes and ears!

ELIZABETH FREY

Dayton Opera Artist-in-Residence, Mercedes and Carmen’s understudy

Not only do I owe my love of opera to my grandfather, but I owe my very existence to Bizet’s “Carmen.” My grandfather lived on Staten Island as a young man, and would take the ferry to Manhattan to go to the Metropolitan Opera. At the time, there were cheap seats available at the very last moment on the nights of the performances, and he would risk the trip for the chance to get a ticket.

My grandfather took my grandmother to the opera on their very first date. Considering that it was her first time seeing an opera, and there was a chance that they might not have been able to get tickets that night, it was a risky first date! That opera was “Carmen.”

I listened to many operas when I was a little girl, singing along, but I always had a special connection to “Carmen.” I would put on my mother’s long skirt and dance around the living room to the “Gypsy Song.” “Carmen” was actually the first opera I was in after high school. I know that my grandfather would have loved to be able to see this production.

KAREN RUSSO BURKE

Dayton Ballet artistic director

Bizet is always so wonderful to dance to! His music has so much movement built into it. It is very passionate and visceral, everything dancers need to stir them. I enjoy the Spanish flavor that the choreography needs to have.

My first experience with “Carmen” was when Dayton Ballet did Septime Webre’s “Carmen.” I had not danced or choreographed “Carmen” in the past. The challenges of incorporating dance into opera is space. The sets are very large for opera and are more complex than in dance. The spaces are very tricky and don’t lend themselves to large dance numbers.

For this production, the dancers will appear in four small segments. We have 19 in the company and there will be a few in each scene. They will also be in other scenes with the chorus and principal singers.

MARK JAUSS

Kettering Children’s Choir artistic director

Our singers love the opportunity to be a part of a grand production and to be able to wear make-up and put on costumes. This is quite unique compared to the traditional choral experience. The most challenging aspect of “Carmen” for our students is that they’re singing in French.

This opera contains real life content — content that audiences can connect with. I think that the combination of this content with the outstanding music is what has made this opera so endearing.

JESSICA HUNG

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster

I think the seductive and beguiling nature of the character of Carmen is actually inherent in the music. Bizet perfectly captured her charms so that when we hear her sing or even just listen to the orchestral introductions and interludes, we fall under her spell. This is also the signature role for a mezzo-soprano, and there is something about the lower, earthier, and huskier tambre of this voice type (compared to a soprano’s) that draws you in.

The biggest difficulty with any opera is stamina, as we are providing nonstop music throughout the entire show, from the first introduction of the heroine and meeting of the lovers until (spoiler alert) her tragic demise.

NEAL GITTLEMAN

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra conductor

“Carmen” is one of the most tuneful operas around. Lurking below the surface of the tunefulness is the immense power of the music to convey the emotional currents in the story. The tunes lure you in, but the power of the music is what really gets you. What I particularly enjoy about conducting “Carmen” is the challenge of taking something that everyone knows — or thinks they know — and making it fresh and emotionally compelling.

“Carmen” is a piece that was written to shock audiences. Except for Micaela (a village maiden), every single character in the opera is a “low-life” of one type or another. There’s a lot of seedy stuff in the story — at least seedy for 1875! Over the years, its popularity and familiarity have softened the punch that the opera packed when it first was seen. So the challenge is to restore that edgy quality. “Carmen” should be an emotional roller coaster for the audience, and I hope we’ll give everyone a really exciting ride!


WANT TO GO?

What: The Dayton Opera's production of "Carmen" featuring the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Ballet and the Dayton Opera Chorus and Kettering Children's Choir.

When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 19 and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21.

Where: Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center

Tickets: From $32 to $98 available at www.daytonperformingarts.org or by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630. Senior and student discounts are available.

RELATED: One hour prior to the performance, University of Dayton music professor Sam Dorf will shed light on the production. "Opera bites" are available for purchase in the Wintergarden before the performance and at the first intermission.

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