Opera Lyra Ottawa’s production of Carmen opened this past Saturday to a sold out house at the National Arts Centre – wonderful news after poor attendance in previous years culminated in a scaled back production of La Traviata last season.
Opera fans can rest assured that there is absolutely nothing scaled back about Carmen. From the cast to the costumes to the sets, this production embraces and flaunts everything that makes opera great.
Opera isn’t easy; performers must possess both a beautiful singing voice and the ability to act while singing, thus drawing the audience into the story. Tyrone Patterson (artistic director and principle conductor) put together an impressive ensemble of artists, both on stage and behind the scenes. The casting for Carmen was spot on, with every performer bringing to life the characters that Georges Bizet created nearly 140 years ago. (Carmen first debuted in 1875).
Alessandra Volpe was magnificent. She was born to play Carmen, and may very well be the great Carmen of our time. Her performance was enthralling and her voice sent chills down the spines of the audience.
David Pomeroy’s voice brought life, depth and breadth to Don José, while his descent into obsession was believable and heartfelt.
Corey Crider’s Escamillo was spectacular. He drew your attention every moment he was on stage. His “Toreador Song” alone was worth the ticket. A pleasant surprise was soprano Lara Ciekiewicz from Winnipeg, whose voice was enchanting as she portrayed Micaëla.
Bernard Uzan (stage director) has worked on hundreds of shows all over the world, with some of the best opera companies there are. His vast experience brought a visual beauty to the production, while Rosa Mercedes’ Choreography was sublime.
All in all, this talented cast brought a world class opera production to Ottawa. Remember, Opera Lyra is not a touring company, each show is cast, produced and staged to be performed right here in the nation’s capital and only here. It’s well worth seeing.
There are three more performances scheduled for this evening, this coming Wednesday (September 11) and Saturday (September 14). Tickets are still available and Student Rush applies to the opera.
If you’re curious, here’s a link to one of the most famous songs of Carmen, performed by the Opera Company of Philadelphia as a “Random Act of Culture”. Fingers crossed that Opera Lyra Ottawa will do something similar here. It’d be pretty cool.
Correction: In the preview piece for Carmen it was stated that the main roles were held by artists in their twenties. In fact, the main roles are held by singers in their thirties. Apartment613 regrets this error which has been corrected in the original post.
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