Opera - Carmen

This was an amazing Opera, I only wish that I had the opportunity to see it in person. I have never watched anything like it, and probably would not have had it not been part of this class. Let me say Thank you for opening my eyes to this amazing experience.

The theatrical performance, choreography and music were very moving and to my surprise drew me in to continue watching and trying to interpret. I have to say I was very shocked at the sexuality used in this performance, it seemed as thought it was wrote long before its time. Carmen's sexuality was very much a large part of the performance and I found it intriguing. I decided to rent the movie Carmen to compare the performances and found them to be very similar in character however the Opera was much more captivating. The music alone is wonderful but when added to the stage performance it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Carmen is a direct conflict of the expectations for women of this time period. Women were to be gentle, biddable and sinned against. However Carmen used her beauty and sexuality to her advantage. She perfectly combined her acting, singing, and dancing abilities to portray a seductive and enticing personality that even Don Jose' could not resist.

The musical transitions for each character and scene were for me the amateur at times overwhelming and difficult to take it all in. As the music and people become loud during the bullfight in the background you can hear Carmen and Don Jose' characters in the music.

In the beginning of the Opera Don Jose' appears to be very strong and powerful with an ability to ignore Carmen. Again the music helps portray this image. Obviously he changes throughout the performance to become ravaged with lust and jealousy towards Carmen. You can hear in his voice his defeat and it leaves you to believe that although he will no longer be jealous he also will mourn Carmen forever.

Although the orchestra was not shown often it appeared that it consisted primarily of men, which I found rather interesting. The sets were also incredible which made me wonder how the original sets were designed. This Opera appears to have been a monumental changes in the French Opera it is a shame that Bizet, due to his early death, was unable to realize his impact not only of his time but still today 100 years later.