DomStufen-Festspiele in Erfurt 2018
To mark this year's 25th anniversary, Georges Bizet's Carmen – one of the most beloved operas of all time – is on the program.
The aloof gypsy Carmen wraps all men around her finger, both the daredevil bullfighter Escamillo and the conscientious soldier Don José, who despairs of her. This deadly drama of jealousy has always fascinated audiences with its exotic title character, its unbourgeois wishful fantasies about the smuggler's life, and its wealth of songs and famous melodies such as Carmen's "Habanera" and "Seguidilla," José's flower aria, and Escamillo's bullfighter's song.
"Love is a gypsy child, it has never known a law..." Carmen sings proudly, confidently, and freely – yet stylized as an outsider. While the "itinerant life" evokes idyllic images, in reality it was always a struggle for recognition in a hostile environment. Thus, this Carmen production depicts the struggle for freedom and the admirable self-assertion of a woman marginalized and relegated to the trash heap of society, thus going far beyond clichéd gypsy romanticism and Spanish folklore.
Premiere / August 3, 2018
Cast
Carmen / Katja Bildt, Julia Stein, Mirouslava Yordanova | Don José / Philippe Castagner, Won Whi Choi, Andres Veramendi | Escamillo / Andrey Maslakov, Mandla Mndebele, Siyabulela Ntlale | Micaëla / Margrethe Fredheim, Daniela Gerstenmeyer | Frasquita / Sujin Bae, Julia Neumann | Mercédès / Annie Kruger, Katharina Walz | Zuniga / Andrey Maslakov, Kakhaber Shavidze | Moralès / Andrii Chakov, Dmitry Ryabchikov, Ks. Máté Sólyom-Nagy | Dancaïro / Andrii Chakov, Dmitry Ryabchikov, Ks. Máté Sólyom-Nagy | Remendado / Ks. Jörg Rathmann, Alexander Voigt