Russian State Ballet and Opera House to Bring CARMEN to Swindon, Feb 16

Russian State Ballet and Opera House presents Carmen with music performed by a large live orchestra. After a series of successful performances of Madame Butterfly and La Boheme in 2013, The Russian State Ballet and Opera House is back with another more world-class Opera, Carmen - a powerful and passionate drama of love and rejection.

Carmen, one of the most popular and accessible opera, has captured the imagination of many generations over the years and continues to attract and inspire all age groups worldwide.

This completely new performance of Carmen features an impressive cast and a live Orchestra with over 30 musicians, who bring to life the famous composition of Georges Bizet in a way that you have never experienced before.

The Russian State Ballet and Opera House is renowned across Europe for their faithful, intimate and powerful performances, and this new opera production will be no exception. They have been featured regularly in local and national media, including an appearance on BBC Television's The One Show.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that this production will portray delicacy, intimacy and power.

Alexej Ignatow, producer of The Russian State Ballet & Opera House explains what make his company so unique and stand out from the rest:

"The Russian State Ballet and Opera House was founded to represent quality and passion for Ballet and Opera at the highest level. Unlike many other companies that travel to Europe with ballet and opera productions, we only focus on working with established theatres in the Russian Federation. These theatres have many years of experience and, most importantly, they have an established spine of directors and leaders from Russia's most-respected artistic institutions.

Every year we aim to bring different Artists to the UK, which means that although you may have seen a Carmen opera one year, next time the set, costumes, artists and even choreography will be different, to create a unique, yet faithful experience each time.

This year we have selected to work with the Russian State Opera and Ballet Theatre of Komi. This is an established and long standing theatre that continues to grow on the international stage and win awards in the field of opera and ballet."

Alexej Ignatow added: "We often get asked how you would encourage people who have never seen an opera before, to come along for the first time? And my instant reply is that you don't need to be an expert in opera or music as we ensure that the set and costumes make the production easy to follow. The music is beautiful and sometimes, even if you're lost in the plot, just close your eyes and enjoy the music."

The Russian State Ballet and Opera House is a gem of the Russian cultural tradition, bringing as they do the passion and vibrancy of the Russian character to this opera.

CARMEN

(Sung in French with English surtitles)

By French composer, Georges Bizet, it is by far one of the most powerful, enjoyable and tuneful operas and has become one of the most popular.

In four acts, it tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by Carmen, a free spirited femme fatale.

José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties to pursue her, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage.

The music of Carmen has been widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere, orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet represented musically the emotions and suffering of his characters.

'The Toreador Song' is among the best known of all operatic arias.

Carmen is an opera that particularly appeals to every age groups and has remained a firm favourite since its creation, as the colour and richness of the costumes and set draw the audience in the very essence of the opera.

The rich and colourful vigour of the gypsies' scenes will have you on The Edge of your seat, and the vibrancy, enthusiasm and intensity of the performance will reverberate long after the final curtain.

Carmen is a perfect introduction to opera for the uninitiated as it is a good story with many memorable tunes and, for the opera-goers, this production will resonate with the particular energy delivered by the Company.

As part of its UK Tour commencing on Tuesday 4 February and finishing on Sunday 9 March 2014, The Russian State Ballet and Opera House will be coming to Swindon, Wyvern Theatre on Sunday 16 February 2014. .

Do not delay in purchasing your ticket for the greatest opera, Carmen. Visit www.opera-tickets.co.uk.

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