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<\/a>Zeffirelli\u2019s lavish operatic productions have been met with emotions on two extremes: there\u2019s the camp that drinks up the rich detail and spectacular scenery, much of what you\u2019d expect when going to see your first opera, and there\u2019s the camp that deems it just that, campy: too traditional and too unchallenging to modern opera-goers. If you\u2019ve never experienced a Zeffirelli production, it\u2019s definitely worth a go – at the very least so you can make up your own mind.<\/p>\n
Bizet came to compose Carmen<\/em> after suffering a series of failures in Paris, and had the Op\u00e9ra-Comique not offered him a commission to write a second opera, a lot of opera\u2019s most popular and recognizable melodies may never have existed. He and his librettists, Meilhac and Hal\u00e9vy, based the story mostly on a book by Prosper M\u00e9rim\u00e9e, which described in great detail Romani culture – or at least what M\u00e9rim\u00e9e imagined Romani culture to be like.<\/p>\n Considering the opera\u2019s popularity today, it might come as a surprise that Carmen<\/em> was, initially, a bigger flop than any of Bizet\u2019s initial attempts. The premiere in 1875 shocked audiences, who were horrified by the risqu\u00e9 plot, amoral characters, and violent ending. (To be fair, even Bizet himself calling the Toreador Song \u201cgarbage\u201d.) The music disappointed almost everyone who heard it, and was accused of either being too Wagnerian or not Wagnerian enough. Later, on the opera\u2019s way to glory, it acquired an unexpected champion: Friedrich Nietzsche. After Bizet\u2019s early death, Carmen<\/em> was revived across Europe and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In the 2017-2018 season, it is the second most performed opera according to Operabase<\/a>.<\/p>\n We\u2019re sure that the Israel Opera\u2019s upcoming production will be a much more successful run compared to the opera\u2019s first one. In the title role, Russian mezzo Elena Maximova will be making her Israel Opera debut alongside our own Na\u2019ama Goldman, who made headlines in 2012 when, as an understudy, she took over the role with a few hours\u2019 notice when injury and the dry Masada air took not one but two Carmens out of the running.<\/p>\n Israel Opera regulars Gustavo Porta and Najmiddin Mavlyanov will share the role of Don Jose, and two of Israel\u2019s top soprani, Hila Baggio and Alla Vasilevitsky, will share the role of Micaela, Jose\u2019s hometown sweetheart. As bad boy Escamillio, we have Dario Solari and David Bizic. Other soloists we know and love include Shiri Hershkovitz, Oded Reich, Noah Briger, Guy Mannheim, Yair Polishook, Yosef Aridan, and Vladimir Braun.<\/p>\n There will be no Towards Opening lecture this time, but for anyone who wants to get a little glimpse into what goes into a production of this operatic giant, there will be backstage tours and Q&A \u201ctalkback\u201d sessions on select nights: July 18, 19, 22, 24.<\/p>\n<\/a>