Bizet - Carmen (Pappano, Kaufmann) [2008] [DVD]

This is a fantastic production of one of my favourite operas. The singing is superb, I particularly liked Jonas Kaufmann but all the cast are excellent. The acting is also of a very high standard and I felt for Don Jose in his disappointed love although I suppose nowadays we should see him as an abusive boyfriend! I even felt sorry for Carmen towards the end and I find her hard to like as she is so selfish and self indulgent. I like good design and Its always a welcome bonus for me when the costumes and scenery are first rate and this is very much the case - lots of vibrant but beautifully coordinated costumes and colours and wonderful stagecraft. This would be a good choice for anyone new to opera or not sure if they like it - its a good example of how passionate and moving opera can be.

Absolutely wonderful, Jonas Kaufman is the best of opera tenors & an actor who is totally believable!

This is a thrilling and sultry performance of one of the most popular operas in the repertoire. Antonacci looks sexy, as the gypsy should, and sings very well, with just the right amount of smoky darkness in her voice. Amsellen has a very nice lyric soprano and portrays a determined Micaëla. D'Arcangelo may not be singing many Escamillos -he doesn't seem to be comfortable in the role-, but sounds good and has a very handsome presence. But the real star of the evening is Jonas Kauffman, in a spellbinding performance of Don Jose, beautifully sung, combining sweet and desperate tones, dramatically involved and fullfilling all the demands of the role as no other tenor in living memory. This is a tenor to watch. A true artist. The production looks messy at times but is not bad. The orchestra plays beautifully. The HD picture and the sound are both excellent. A Carmen to treasure.

Thank goodness we have a well acted and realistic Carmen after so many uneventful productions during the last twenty years. I am not a fan of messing about with location and time span of great classics on stage. Composers or writers had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve and we should be able with modern theatre technology to do great classics justice. The heat and mediterranian passion that Bizet envisaged has by and large been brought to life in this production. All the leading characters are all accomplished actors as well as pasionate singers however I still have a few reservations. I am not a fan of the current idea of using static chorus numbers. This is dramatic opera not Oratorio.Also the one moveable set on stage leaves a lot to be desired. It looks like a poor entry at the Chelsea flower show and takes the edge off the realism. Why cant the stage settings be as real as the acting? Surely it doesnt cost that much more to construct a realistic Spanish town square? All this taken aside I was still swept along by the central characters dedication especialy Kaufman and Antonacci. She is so coniving and degenerate and he, beneath his initial innocence shows a growing darker side until his final pushing out of desperation to commit murder. The Orchestra is pushed along at an average pace by Papano but doesnt score any outstanding points or create new ground. The original small ammount of spoken dialogue is retained but I ,Myself have always preferred the sung recitatives as I feel they carry the continuity much better. The opening number of the fourth act (Chorus number ) has been ommitted but then , normally this would be a very animated stage action number and as I have already mentioned, most chorus numbers seem frozen to the spot. All in all though, extremely enjoyable.

This is a very passionate excellent production. Pappano is completely in charge and highly effective. Kaufmann at his very best. . The " flower aria " immensely moving. His Don Jose is more convincing than many that i have heard. Antonacci is a really wild gypsy woman, well sung and well acted. Ildebrando d'Arcangelo a very macho Torrero. Norah Amsellem sings adequately. What I did not like at all was the stage set. ! that was extraordinately bad and unimaginative. The scene in the moiuntains was ridiculous ! I loved the music and the simging so much that I simply closed my eyes to this short coming, but it was totally unacceptable.

I liked the singing but wasn't so keen on the set design.

Great performances of a classic work

I searched through the various You Tube offerings in search of a pleasing Carmen and this was the only one that appealed to me.The audience is left in no doubt about Carmen's sexual forwardness: she wraps her legs around the unfortunate Don Jose and even buries his head under her skirt. A bit strong that I thought for family viewing, but my son informs me that "They are all like that these days Dad".That said, she is much more convincing than those Carmens that would never turn a man's head.Two of my favourite sequences are the part with the children's chorus near the beginning and the final procession to the arena near the end of the opera. I thought both scenes were splendid because I have seen them handled in a rather routine manner in other versions.I can say much the same about the rest of the show. It is full of zest and excitement.

Wonderful but the last scene of act 4 was ruined by bad recording. Perhaps mine was just a one off.

This is a very enjoyable production of a beloved opera. And what a marvelous opera it is! I had not heard "Carmen" in some years, and I was made newly aware of Bizet's inexhaustible melodic gift - literally every tune in the show is memorable. I had liked Anna Caterina Antonacci as Cassandre (in "Les Troyens"), and she is equally impressive as Carmen. Her character dominates the stage, and she uses all her resources to get whatever she wants - but without exaggeration or self-parody. She also sings beautifully. She sometimes plays fast and loose with the ryhthms and even comes unglued from the orchestra a couple of times; and her little runs in the Gypsy Song are less than clean. But these are minor blemishes in a fine performance. Jonas Kaufmann is certainly one of the best young tenors currently on stage. His José is a model of fine singing and convincing acting - he actually elicits our sympathy for this overgrown mama's boy! And he does a lovely diminuendo on the high note in the Flower Song. Norah Amsellem does what she can with Micaëla's character and displays a lovely lyric soprano. As Escamillo, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo looks good and has the proper swagger, but his singing is less impressive. His pitches are so foggy in the Toreador Song that it's fortunate that we all know the tune. He does improve, though. The smaller parts are very well cast, and the chorus sings well, looks good, and is well-involved dramatically. The French diction is surprisingly good, even in the spoken dialogue, though the native French speakers do stand out. Antonio Pappano keeps things moving effectively, but he shows real affection for the music and a fine touch for Bizet's colorful orchestral writing. I sometimes wonder if today's preponderance of abstract sets is due more to artistic vision or budgetary constraints. This one, made up of terracotta slabs, is reasonably effective. The costumes are in the right period and look good. There are some perhaps unintentionally amusing moments, like the introduction of a burro or horse in each act. José's approaching Escamillo by rappelling down a wall has to be a first. Strongly recommended.

学生時代に一目惚れしたアントナッチの迫力満点のカルメンに再会できたことに感動してます。改めて見ると演出、男性陣、全てがパーフェクトで、その細部までをBlu-rayの高画質で観ることができて、再びオペラ沼にハマってしまいました。 さて、そんな素晴らしいBlu-rayを日本で再生するにはリージョンフリーのものあるいは国外リージョンを再生できる機器が必要となります。私はふつうのPanasonic製品で再生したかったので、こちらで問い合わせて、ユーザー様と出品者様の複数にご回答をいただき無事リージョンフリーを保有している出品者様から購入させていただきました。皆さん真摯にご対応いただきありがとうございます！ オペラはやっぱり舞台芸術の極み。せっかく観るならDVDよりBlu-rayを強くお勧めします。

Diese Leistung ist ein Fest der Bilder und Klänge. Die karmesinrot und Blut-Orange Farbschema schlägt Leidenschaft und Gewalt. Die Kampfszene zwischen Don José und Escamillo über Carmen ist sehr schön choreographiert. Die Leistung ist rasant und physisch. Beide Haupt-Sänger sind brillanten Darstellers und athletisch Opernstars. Carmen (Anna Caterina Antonacci) ist Tödliche Anziehungskraft personifizierte sofort, wenn sie auftaucht, und Don José (Jonas Kaufmann), ein unkomplizierter junger Soldat, wird sofort vernarrt. Eifersucht, Konfrontation und Besessenheit folgen. Kaufmann ist eine so erstaunliche Darsteller-Opernsängerin. Er (als Don José) schießt Carmen einen Blick, und Sie schaudert seine panische Verzweiflung und tastbaren, gefährliche Wut. Frühere, Don José sang seine Vernarrheit für Carmen, und ausgesetzt sein Verwundbarkeit als er den berühmten Blumen Song endet leise in hörbare Schluchzen... Es gibt große Drama im Kaufmanns eleganten, emotional aufgeladen und dunkel beschattet Tenorstimme, und spontane Körpersprache durch die ganze Leistung. Bizets Musik ist spannend und exotisch. Dirigent Antonio Pappano holt das Beste aus den Musikern! Begeistert Empfohlen! (deutsche Übersetzung) This performance is a feast of sights and sounds. The crimson and blood-orange colour scheme suggests passion and violence. The fight scene between Don José and Escamillo over Carmen is beautifully choreographed. The performance is fast-paced and physical. Both lead singers are brilliant actors and athletic opera stars. Carmen (Anna Caterina Antonacci) is Fatal Attraction personified immediately when she shows up, and Don José (Jonas Kaufmann), an unsophisticated young soldier, is instantly smitten. Jealousy, confrontation and obsession follow. Kaufmann is such an amazing acting opera singer. He shoots Carmen one look, and you shudder at Don José's panicky desperation and palpable, dangerous anger. Earlier, Don José sang his infatuation for Carmen and exposed his vulnerability by ending the famous Flower Song softly into audible sobbing... There is great drama in Kaufmann's elegant, emotionally charged and darkly colourful tenor voice and spontaneous body language through the entire performance. Bizet's music is exciting and exotic. Conductor Antonio Pappano brings out best of the musicians! Enthusiastically Recommended!

Arrived sooner than expected. Have listened to Acts 1&2 so far. Enjoyed on a par with the other two DVD versions I have. Carmen is my favourite opera so I have tape and CDs also and enjoy them all. JX