Please join The Villages Music Society’s Opera Lovers on Thursday, February 20 at 2 p.m. in Montgomery Center, when we will present “Carmen” by Georges Bizet.
This “Live from the Met” production from 2010 is the debut of conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who continues as the Met’s music director. The sets are stunning and, when we last showed this movie (then borrowed but meanwhile acquired), our regular attendees agreed that it was the best production of this opera that they had ever seen.
Carmen is one of the most vivid characters in all opera, and Elina Garanča provides a stunning portrayal, both musically and dramatically. Her Don José is Roberto Alagna, Michaëla is Barbara Frittoli, and the toréador, Escamillo, is sung by Teddy Tahu Rhodes. The opera is sung in French with English subtitles and runs 2 hours and 45 minutes.
This is a tale of fickleness, ambition, jealousy and vengeance, all wrapped up in Bizet’s gorgeous melodies, which will be familiar to most of us (they have been used in commercials, movies and TV shows). Carmen is a complicated, sometimes exasperating character, but hard to resist.
The lively, Spanish-influenced music makes this an excellent introduction to grand opera. So, if you have not yet attended one of our DVD showings, we highly recommend starting with this one!
Please join us on February 20. No registration is required and the event is open to all Villagers. If you need any additional information in the meantime, please call Mary Stradner at 408-887-3293. Also, we recommend visiting VillagesMusicSociety.org for information about other musical events.
If you need a ride to any Villages Music Society events, please contact Villages Medical Auxiliary at 408-238-4230 to arrange your free transportation.
