London’s new Carmen: mediocre

Ever since I got into opera, about 15 years ago, I’ve been trying to catch a good Carmen. I love the Callas highlights disc, and some of Bizet’s toons are among the best-known outside the ranks of opera fans. And the setting – Seville – offers endless possibilities.

But, just like earlier Carmens I’ve seen, Saturday’s Covent Garden performance just left me cold – unengaging, episodic, occasionally risible (the chorus, t*ts flashing in the breeze, extolling the virtues of smoking… the horse… the donkey…). In a word, mediocre.

It wasn’t the singing – Jonas Kaufmann (Don Jose) was outstanding, in a generally strong cast. The chorus was super, especially the kids. Pappano’s band was its usual excellent self. The sets/costumes were a delight.

So why was this Carmen no more than mediocre? It took a while for the penny to drop, but it gradually dawned on me.

Carmen’s a weak opera. It lacks dramatic structure. Its main characters are unsympathetic – a gypsy trollop, a weak-willed soldier, and a cipher of a girl friend: in other words, a bunch of losers. After enduring them for a couple of minutes, you’ve lost all interest in their fates.

Carmen comes across to me like shallow music hall entertainment. In my book, opera has to have more ambition than a providing a vehicle for a series of rousing show tunes. I won’t be sampling any more Carmens: it’s not music for grown-ups.

Returning home, I put Abba Gold on the CD player. Mamma Mia! Far superior.


Gerry Smith