Melbourne Carmen a feast of style and substance

By Patricia Maunder, 08 May 2017

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“from golden notes of love to the velvety darkness of her lower register”

Reviewed at Arts Centre Melbourne: State Theatre, Melbourne on 6 May 2017

Bizet, Carmen

Opera Australia

Guillaume Tourniaire, Conductor

John Bell, Director

Michael Scott-Mitchell, Set Designer

Teresa Negroponte, Costume Designer

Rinat Shaham, Carmen

Dmytro Popov, Don José

Shane Lowrencev, Escamillo

Stacey Alleaume, Micaëla

Adrian Tamburini, Zuniga

Christopher Hillier, Moralès

Jane Ede, Frasquita

Sian Sharp, Mercédès

Luke Gabbedy, Le Dancaïre

Benjamin Rasheed, Le Remendado

Roger Press, Revival Director

Opera Australia Chorus

Opera Australia Orchestra

Opera Australia’s Eugene Onegin shines musically

Sandra Bowdler, 17th March

Eugene Onegin returns to the Sydney Opera house in Kasper Holten’s slightly awkward production but the singing and orchestral playing are exemplary.

****1

Humperdinck hobbled in Opera Australia revival

Jeremy Eccles, 27th January

Elijah Moshinsky’s 33-year-old production of Hansel and Gretel hasn’t aged well.

***11

A psychological Turandot in Ann Yee's Opera Australia staging

Sandra Bowdler, 15th January

Opera Australia's new Turandot succeeds with musical, dramatic and visual values with a mix of local and imported talent.

****1

Siobhan Stagg leads a strong Marriage of Figaro revival in Sydney

Sandra Bowdler, 31st July

Siobhan Stagg is an outstanding Susanna in a strongly cast and well produced Marriage of Figaro at the Sydney Opera House

****1

Watery magic as Nicole Car makes a triumphant return to Sydney

Jeremy Eccles, 19th July

Nicole Car makes her role debut as Dvořák's Rusalka in a production by Sarah Giles that proves a winner.

****1

Danielle de Niese makes Carmen debut in a colourful new Sydney staging

Sandra Bowdler, 10th July

Danielle de Niese's assumes the title role at the Sydney Opera House, leading an impressive cast with an interesting approach to characterisation with a somewhat over the top blingy setting.

****1

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Patricia Maunder

Patricia Maunder has been an arts journalist for more than 20 years, contributing to publications in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK including The Sydney Morning Herald and Opera magazine. She is based in Melbourne, but considers Montreal her 'other' hometown after living there in 2012-16. For more about Patricia, visit her website.