Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! This week begins our series on Georges Bizet's opera Carmen presented by the Opera Company of Philadelphia. We will take a look at scenes from the first two acts of the opera as well as a glimpse at the exotic Spanish setting of the opera.Video Clips of the Week!!
Our first video is one of the most popular and memorable songs from Carmen- the Habenera. In the opera this song introduces Carmen to Don Jose and the audience. The clip comes from the 2006 production at Covent Garden in London. Mezzo-soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci sings the role of Carmen.
The song Habanera is so famous that it has been performed by many famous musicians and cultural icons, like Beyonce and Bobby McFerrin. The next video clip is a performance of the Habenera from three famous artists who need no introduction.
The famous Spanish dancer and director Carlos Saura has produced several versions of the opera Carmen as well as all-dance versions embracing the dramatic and emotional flamenco style. In the clip below, we'll see a rehearsal for the famous brawl in the cigarette factory between Manuelita and Carmen - a scene which takes place off stage in the opera. The scene continues with Carmen's arrest and her seduction of Don Jose, just as in the opera.
In this mesmerizing scene, the dancers are choreographed in a staged fight through dance. How does this scene compare to the same scene in the opera? How does Saura use sound to highten the drama?
Our fourth clip comes from the 2010 Metropolitain Opera production of Carmen. At the beginning of the second act Carmen (played by Elina Garanca) has escaped from jail and now waits for Don Jose to meet her Lillas Pastia's tavern. Inspired by the tavern music, Carmen sings the Gypsy Song. Notice the dancing at the beginning of the clip. This type of dance is called flamenco and is a traditional spanish dance that is still very popular in Seville.
Our final clip is from a updated version of Carmen. In 1943 musical composer Oscar Hammerstein II decided to set the story of Carmen in modern times. Using some of Bizet's music, he rewrote the words and set the story in America with an African American cast. The result was the musical Carmen Jones. The clip is from the movie version of the musical with Pearl Bailey singing Hammerstein's version of the Gyspy song- "Beat out That Rhythm on a Drum".
Website of the Week!!
Carmen takes place in sunny Seville, Spain. Check out these website on two of the locations where Carmen takes place, the Royal Tobacco Factory and The Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza Bullfighting Ring.
Opera on the Air!!
On Saturday, September 10th at 1 PM, radio station WRTI will be broadcasting the San Fransisco Opera's production of Jules Massenet's Werther. Massenet's lush melodies frame the tragic tale of a young poet's unreturned love for a young maid. Conducted by Emmanuel Villaume the cast features tenor Ramon Vargas as Werther and mezzo-soprano Alice Coote as Charlotte.
Until next week!
Comments
Carman was a person who was passionette about what she thought and the fight tells you this.
She is supposed to be very pretty and we know this because all the men love her.
I think Carmen is a beautiful woman, who expects everyone to love her. She tries her hardest to make it happen. I think this because when Carmen comes out of the cigarette factory, all the men except for Don Jose are smitten with her. Carmen sees Don Jose as a challenge and tries to make him fall for her.
My perceptions of Carmen is a sneaky and pretty person, but while being pretty she makes all the boys do what she wants. Some evidence is that Carmen gave Don José a flower, which is actually a witch flower. So Carmen poisoned Don José to like her.
In my opinion i think Carmen is very mysterious since she is a gypsy.
I also thing Carmen is kind yet sneaky, in the libretto her songs that she sings are mysterious and when Carmen says "Tralalalalala, cut me, burn me,
I shall tell you nothing; tralalalala, I defy everything - fire, the sword, and heaven itself!"
which I thought was very mysterious.
The opera sounds very interesting and cool I can't wait for our field trip to the Opera!
To me Carmen is a sneaky, mysterious,daring, beautiful character who always catches the attention of teenager boys. When Carmen doesnt care about someone, the other person's heart is broken. is a very dangerous person. She is a type of woman who knows who and what she likes and dislikes. Carmen is a very very aggressive woman as well. As said in the libretto, Carmen brought knifes into the fight. Carmen also made Don Jose fall in love with her. I believe Carmen is daring because she was being stubborn when she redfused to tell the soldiors what had happened.
The End
I think that Carmen is a very tricky and sneaky person. I also think that once Carmen sets her mind to something she'll get it no matter what. As I said before Carmen is a very tricky and sneaky person and she is also a very attractive person. Carmen is the kind of person that would take a lot of risks and not care about the consequences, she is a very care free person. In the libretto Carmen is swarmed by men - she's very attractive, Carmen gets Don Jose to help her to escape from jail - tricky and sneaky. Overall Carmen is very mysterious
Carmen is sneaking and expects every man to fall in love with her. that is why she like Don Jose. because he is different.
My perception of Carmen is that she is a brave and mysterious girl. I think this because she stood up for herself when was being brought to jail, and I think she is mysterious because she said "The flower i made you a present of, the witch's flower- you can throw it away the spell is working". That is why I think Carmen is brave and mysterious.
I perceive that Carmen was beautiful because all the soldiers wanted to flirt with her. I also think she is a little bit lawless because she wouldn’t answer the lieutenant’s interrogation. As a woman I think she isn’t really lady like because she slashed a woman’s face with a knife.
Carmen is a persuasive, persistent gypsy that is in love with john dose.
Carmen is the kind of person that sets her eyes on someone and then tries and persists till they like her too and by using what ever is necessary, she never gave up on John Dose even when he didn't want her, she even used a witches spell on a rose that she tossed to him to force him to love her.
The way she insulted Manuelita in act 1 by saying, ""A donkey? What for? All you need is a broom,” tells me that she either likes to insult people or she likes to start fights.
So far in the opera, Carmen seems like a person who is clever, mischievous, and brave. For example, when Carmen is accused of hurting a girl in the quarrel, she taunts Zuniga instead of answering him. Most people would answer for fear of getting a punishment, but Carmen didn't. This shows that Carmen is brave. In addition, while incarcerated, Carmen cleverly gets Jose to untie her, which shows her bravery, and her mischievous side, as she had schemed a little to get out of jail. My perceptions of Carmen are that she is odd and scheming. Perhaps she had tricked Jose, maybe she didn't love him.
My perception of Carmen is that she is a rebel and enjoys being a Gypsy. Carmen is the type of women who enjoys attention and gets what she wants. The evidence supporting her being a rebel in the libretto is that she causes a fight and will not admit it. She throws a flower at Don Jose, casts a spell on him and he falls in love with her. She gets what she wanted and so enjoys being a gypsy. She likes attention as shown when the soldiers crowd around her.
Carmen is a very beautiful, yet devious woman. My perceptions of Carmen are that she knows she is beautiful, so that is why she has to get whatever she wants, including Don Jose. Also, I believe she is very stubborn, because in the libretto on pages 21 and 22 Carmen will not say anything to Zuniga except something like, "Tralalalala, cut me, burn me, I shall tell you nothing, I defy everything." I know Carmen knows she is beautiful because on pages 18 and 19 of the libretto she is surrounded by men begging for her to love them. Carmen is devious because in the libretto she persuades Don Jose into letting her escape and not go to prison. These are my thoughts on Carmen.
Escamillo wasn't begging to Carman.
My favorite character in the opera is Micaëla, because she has a good personality, and always seems to be happy!
On the other hand José is my least favorite character, because he is a little rude to Carmen in Act 2 and isn't very nice to Escamillo.
Can't wait to see the performance!
I think that Don Jose is the character that has changed the most. He used to be a soldier that did every thing he was told to do. Now he was driven to murder because of love. I think that the protaganist is Micaela. Because she is a faithful friend and messenger. I think that Carmen is the antoganist. because, she was being pushy and created a problem when she broke up with Don Jose. The literary elements of Carmen are,plot, conflict(man vs.man),setting(Seville,1800s.), theme(a fight for Carmen's love.), characters( Carmen, Micaela,Don Jose, Escamillo;protoganist,antagonist< teriary.),resolution( Don Jose learns not to try to love free women.)
Kelly to T.Julieann