by NONNA AROUTIOUNIAN
METRO CANADA
Published: August 04, 2011 4:58 p.m.
Last modified: August 04, 2011 5:00 p.m.
Lauren Segal as Carmen & Keith Klassen as Don Jose
in Brott Music Festival's performance of the opera Carmen August 6, 2011
A beautiful, fiery young woman finds herself torn between love and desire for two men and a life of freedom which she has sworn to herself she would live by. She promises herself never to fall victim to love, yet it is love that turns her life completely upside down, ultimately leading to her demise. Interested yet?
Yes, it’s awfully dramatic to be a real life story, but it does have a ring of truth many people can easily identify with: Love, life, jealousy and the trio’s resulting turbulence. No it’s not the latest movie or television drama, it’s Georges Bizet’s legendary opera, Carmen.
L-R Lauren Segal, Rachel Cleland-Ainsworth, Gregory Dahl, Mia Lennox-Williams
The famous French opera premiered in the late 19th century, which may be considered ancient by current popular culture, its basic story is one that has been played out and will continue to play out for centuries to come. Set in Seville Spain around 1820, Carmen depicts the titular gypsy as beautiful young woman free with her love and desires who kicks off a whirlwind of events by wooing an inexperienced young soldier, Don Jose, leading him to reject his former love and trigger a mutiny against his superior ranking officer. When Carmen turns away from him to another man, bullfighter Escamillio, his jealousy pushes him to violence.Who says opera has to be complicated or boring? This particular piece is packed with drama, emotion and pure passion, not to mention great music and song which many will recognize. Canadian Opera Company’s mezzo-soprano Lauren Segal, who will be singing the role of Carmen, says the work “Is a perfect opera for a first-time opera goer. It’s filled with wonderful music and is a great, passionate story”.
Keith Klassen as Don Jose and Sinead Sugrue as Micaela
The characters themselves seem simple on the surface, yet beneath carry all the struggles and desires that real people do. Carmen herself plays a key role in the opera, and is not an easy woman to figure out.Carmen is a challenge for anyone, she lives independently and for the moment. She is extremely fiery, headstrong and can be fatalistic. “It’s very easy to play the character of Carmen very one-sided” says Segal, “But I’m enjoying the challenge of finding and expressing her vulnerabilities as well as her strengths.”
For many opera singers, it is important to immerse completely into their roles, technically and emotionally. The first step is to finesse the role into the voice, and once there, the exploration of colour and expression can begin. For an experienced and exquisite singer such as Segal, this has proved to be an enjoyable process.
“For Carmen, I feel that the music itself is so powerful and passionate, that not much additional work is required to get in to her character - it is all there in the score,” she says.
Keith Klassen & Lauren Segal
And, of course, this is no high-school musical. On Aug. 6 at Mohawk College McIntyre Theatre, audiences can expect a full-on production. With director Giandomenico Vaccari and professional singers at the head of the stage, they are joined by the much experienced conductor Boris Brott and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, not to mention a stage crew full of experienced production staff.With so few classical music events this summer, this is a true headliner. From the great orchestral overtures to the beautiful arias, there is plenty to experience.
Lauren Segal as the free-spirited gypsy, Carmen
“Two of my favourite scenes are the duets with Don Jose at the ends of Act 2 and Act 4” says Segal. “They are filled with many layers, colours and passion”.So whether you have seen many operas or none, Carmen is a steamy expressive drama you don’t want
to miss.