Carmen by Georges Bizet Royal Opera House, Covent Garden London WC2.

4✩✩✩✩ Review: Clare Colvin.

“Change of direction brings new look to Bizet’s ever popular Carmen.”

With some relief I can report an outright triumph for the Royal Opera House’s new production of Carmen, which replaces Barrie Kosky’s short-lived circus of a directorial concept. Damiano Michieletto is a director who believes in realism, as seen in the award-winning hit of the 2015 staging of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci. With this Carmen, that restores the most popular of Bizet’s operas to Covent Garden’s repertoire, the realism is even more gripping and eye-opening, in Paolo Fantin’s evocative set of craggy Andalusian hills and lighting designer Alessandro Carletti’s bleached, wide skies.

​Each scene is detailed and crammed with drama. The Royal Opera Chorus are fully involved in painting character vignettes to illustrate the downward path of Carmen’s fate. At the very first moment of the opera, long before the card of death scene in Act 3, the shadowy figure of an old lady wearing a black mantilla appears, holding aloft a card with vengeful intent, that is recognisable as the fatal symbol. The old lady appears several times through the evening. This, of course, we realise is Don José’s mother, whom José is reminded of by his fiancée Micaëla, as he is torn in the classic struggle between the demands of love and freedom on one side and family duty and responsibility on the other.

​All the singers are well cast and Russian soprano Aigul Akhmetshina in the title role is exceptional both vocally and dramatically, having a rich gorgeous voice and a magnetic presence. Polish tenor Piotr Beczala possesses the fine clarion tones needed for Don José and also the soft reflective notes. Olga Kulchynska is a subtly drawn Micaëla, whose intervention carries the mother’s pressure with it. Kostas Smorginas brings a swagger to the part of matador Escamillo, while Sarah Dufresne and Gabriele Kupšytė enjoy spinning along fantasy tales of fortune as Frasquita and Mercédés. This is the Carmen that Covent Garden’s audiences have been dreaming of for the last 18 months, and it should be returning for many years to come.

Conductor Antonello Manacorda

Set Designer Paolo Fantin

Costume Designer Carla Teti

Lighting Designer Alessandro Carletti

Dramaturg Elisa Zaninotto

Production pictures Camilla Greenwell

In repertoire to 31 May 2024