sabine 18 Jan 2010 at 11:29am (Report this message)

I went to see Carmen live in HD at my local cinema on Saturday and it was a fantastic way to enjoy an opera! Elina Garanca was a joy to behold. She really did outshine anything else on stage and that's saying something because the rest of the cast was excellent. Sexy and far too sultry for a blonde, she captured the complexity and fiery nature of the character brilliantly. Her voice was gorgeous and she moved fantastically, even continuing an aria as she was hoisted up in the air by a group of burly chorus members. Roberto Alagna was great in the role of Don Jose and their relationship was utterly believable even in the close ups that the HD broadcast allowed. And the direction was great. I think Richard Eyre did a fantastic job. The crowd scenes felt natural and believable and I think the children were particularly good, as was the rest of the chorus. My one criticism would be the end which did feel a little heavy handed on the 'symbolism' front. As a way of seeing the best operatic productions in the world at an affordable price, these live HD broadcasts are absolutely fantastic.