Each entr’acte is accompanied by spectacular Spanish style dancing by a large and appropriately costumed group. In act four, the bullring venue is highlighted by a large outline figure, in lights, of a toro (CH.

It's Franco’s Spain I guess, a view confirmed by the costumes. There's a flown lorry and a tank making a setting updated to a nineteen-fifties period staging. The overture itself (CH.2) is itself visually spectacular.

The setting is a curved bullring-shaped stage over the water, looking towards a backdrop of scaffolding carrying the reverse side of the title Carmen. We are also treated to a brief look at the tiered rows of the three thousand or so audience members. The introductory opening (CH 1), to orchestral music from the opera, gives prominence to the view over Sydney Harbour towards the lit Harbour Bridge and the Sails of the renowned Opera House. There were no such limitations with this 2013 staging of Carmen at the same open-air venue. However, the modernistic set and perverse costume policy were considerable downsides allied with inadequacies among the soloists ( review). Location was all when Verdi had set the original to meet the stipulated criteria determined by the Egyptologist Auguste Mariette acting on the strict instructions of the Khedive of Egypt. Full track-listingĪs I noted in my review of the recording of Handa Opera’s 2015 performance of Aida at Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney Harbour, the location is spectacular. Subtitles: French (original language), English, German, Spanish, Italian, Koreanīooklet synopsis in English, German, French. NTSC / Colour / 16:9 (filmed in High Definition) Sound formats: PCM Stereo DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Handa Opera, at Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney Harbour, AustraliaĪustralia Opera and Ballet Orchestra/Brian Castles-Onionĭirector: Gale Edwards Set Designer: Brian Thomson Costume Designer: Julie Lynch Choreographer: Kelley Abbey

Carmen - Rihat Shaham (mezzo) Don José - Dmytro Popov (tenor) Micaëla - Nicole Car (soprano) Escamillo - Andrew Jones (bass-baritone) Frasquita - Ariya Sawadivong (soprano) Mercédès - Tania Ferris (mezzo) Moralès - Samuel Dundas (baritone) Zuniga - Adrian Tamburini (bass) Le Dancaïre - Luke Gabbedy (baritone) Le Remendado - Sam Roberts-Smith (tenor)

Carmen opera sydney