While Gubanova’s singing is perfectly competent, it wasn’t nearly as thrilling as it could be, which is why I also wish I could hear Anita Rachvelishvili’s Carmen during the second half of the run, when the Georgian mezzo-soprano will be making her Lyric debut. It is also why I would urge those who haven’t yet bought tickets to go see Brandon Jovanovich as Don José (March 16-25) his performance in Les Troyens earlier this season was stunning. That impression was confirmed by his performance in Carmen.
In my review of last season’s Roméo et Juliette, I noted that Calleja’s tenor, while gorgeous to listen to, seemed more appropriate to Italian opera than French.
This might have something to do with Gubanova’s portraying Carmen’s fiery independence of character so well, almost to the point of leaving her indifferent to the desires of men. And that is not helped by Ekaterina Gubanova’s Carmen, who isn’t alluring enough to make the audience believe that Don José would leave the army for her, let alone kill her in order to prevent the bullfighter Escamillo from having her. While Joseph Calleja’s Don José is convincing early on as the loyal son of a doting mother who will gladly carry out her wish that he marry Micaëla, his subsequent transformation into the lover of Carmen who forsakes the army and joins a band of gypsies is not.
Part of the problem is with the acting of the two principals. of Don José toward Carmen, culminating in her untimely death) is hard to stomach. Perhaps one of the most fundamental problems is with the opera itself: Bizet’s tuneful music is eminently accessible there’s a delightful mix of choruses, solo arias and duets the sun-soaked Spanish setting with its gypsies and bullfighters is suitably exotic and the story has romance and drama. And don’t forget to throw in the Chicago Children’s Chorus! While these changes and additions often make the production more compelling, they still don’t make it thoroughly enjoyable. Maybe squeeze in lots of ballet, including a half-naked dancer dressed like a bull. Or slavishly follow Bizet’s original score and have spoken dialogue instead of the later sung recitative. One way to make things more interesting for the audience is to switch out some of the principal cast members halfway through the run. Because Bizet’s Carmen is so well-known, from the exuberance and buoyancy of the overture to the singalong Toreador Song, it’s hard to put together a production that is going to please everyone.
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