Review: CARMEN (in English Translation) Rose Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center

If you were under the impression that the term "Opéra Comique" meant a "comic opera", you might be literally correct, but truthfully the joke would be on you. What does it really mean? Opéra Comique is a genre of French opera first developed in the eighteenth century. The nineteenth century saw its full flower. Its standout feature, and the one which blurred the very definition of opera, is the spoken dialogue sprinkled between the arias, choruses, and instrumental interludes. Sometimes this included unrelated popular songs. Sometimes the stories were gently humorous, sometimes (and increasingly in the nineteenth century) they were quite the opposite. In Paris, the genre lent its name to a theater which specialized in this type of entertainment and which exists to this day.

George Bizet's 1875 opera, "Carmen" is a classic example of opéra-comique. However, it is absolutely not a comedy. In fact it has precious few moments of comic relief. It is truly a tragedy. But because of the dialogue interspersed between arias, it qualifies as an opéra-comique. The use of the dialogue in this opera gradually fell by the wayside, replaced with sung recitatives. This moved "Carmen" into the category of grand opera and the version most often heard today. Ted Sperling has been the Music Director of MasterVoices (originally Robert Shaw's Collegiate Chorale) since 2013. While the standard repertoire is the core of MasterVoices' programs, Maestro Sperling has also presented rarely heard choral and operatic works. At first glance, "Carmen" doesn't seem to fit the bill as "rarely heard". Maestro Sperling had another idea, however. A good, singable English translation (from the original French) has been in existence since 1981, created by renowned lyricist Sheldon Harnick for the Houston Grand Opera. Why not perform "Carmen" in that English translation with the opéra-comique dialogue? With judicious cuts (there were many) and a good semi-staging, along with outstanding soloists and of course the marvelous Orchestra of St.Luke's , they would be able to present a fresh look at this war horse of all war horse operas.

The translation was, for the most part, a smooth and as mentioned, singable one. The text underlay (how the words fit the music) was a little tricky simply because the original language, French, does not work the way English does. It was a little forced at times. However, singing and speaking the entire piece in English drew in the younger audience members and could possibly entice them into seeing the full version of the opera (in French) at some future time.

Carmen herself, as sung by Ginger Costa-Jackson, gave this performance the power and drive it needed. Ms. Costa-Jackson skulked, slithered, prowled, strutted, and strode around the stage as if she owned it, which effectively, she did. Carmen is the quintessential anti-heroine. Ms. Costa-Jackson became a creature of fierce independence, unafraid in the face of death. She looked like a strangely beautiful drug addict. Fortunately, even though she is not the standard soprano ingenue part, Bizet gave the mezzo-soprano character Carmen the most memorable and gorgeous music with which to express herself. Ms.Costa-Jackson's "Habañera" was unforgettable. Ms. Costa-Jackson handled the extraordinarily wide range of Carmen's arias with ease. Her magnetic presence, seldom offstage, held the audience's attention throughout the performance. There were audible gasps at her demise, demonstrating just how much the audience was engaged.

Her personality opposite, Micaela, was sung by soprano Mikaela Bennett. This character is usually portrayed as an unsophisticated country girl, meek and mild (but with a beautiful voice and some equally beautiful music to sing). This Micaela was anything but meek and unsophisticated. She was much feistier and confidant while still maintaining Micaela's quiet elegance and grace. Ms. Bennett's portrayal added an extra dimension to the story.

Don José, Carmen's momentary love interest and Micaela's putative fiancé was exquisitely sung by Terrence Chin-Loy. His inner life, having been radically affected by Carmen, became his deeply emotional outer life. His obsession with Carmen overwhelmed him completely. The character transformation was riveting.

The MasterVoices chorus was deployed around the three tiers of seating surrounding the stage. This became a set for the bullfighting arena and was a sonically good decision. The chorus diction and phrasing was just about perfect, as one expects from this group! While many of the choruses were cut, enough was left to still understand that the chorus was a character all by itself. Maestro Sperling's crisp direction and fully accurate tempi moved the opera inexorably to its horrifying conclusion.

There are two more MasterVoices concerts this season. March 23, 2023 will see performances of the rarely performed Sacred Service by Ernest Bloch and Kurt Weill's Kiddush, as well as the world premiere of a work by an Israeli composer. This concert will take place at the historic Central Synagogue at 7:30 pm.

The final offering of the year will take place at Carnegie Hall on May 3, 2023. Gilbert and Sullivan's rollicking satire "Iolanthe" will be performed with the assistance of some top vocal talent from the world of Broadway as well as the marvelous Orchestra of St. Luke's.

For more information about MasterVoices, go to mastervoices.org or call 646-202-9623. They can also be found on all social media.

To post a comment, you must register and login.