OperaLovers - Share the Passion

Podcast

Sir Richard Eyre

on his new production of Carmen at the Met

Play podcast Download Podcast

In this candid interview, Sir Richard Eyre talks about the challenges he faces in staging a new production of Carmen at the Met. As well as his vision for the production, he talks about what attracted him to Carmen as a story and a character study as well as an opera. His star studded cast includes Roberto Alagna as Don Jose, while Elina Garanca has replaced Alagna's former wife Angela Gheorghiu as Carmen. So how do you tell the likes of Roberto Alagna or Renee Flemming (with whom he worked last summer at the Royal Opera House) that they haven't got their performance quite right?

Sir Richard's production of Carmen will be broadcast live on HD all over the world on 16th January. To find out if it's on near you, click here for details.

Renowned for his work on stage and screen Sir Richard has worked with some of the most famous actors in the world. His movies include 'Iris', 'Notes on a Scandal' and, most recently, 'The Other Man', so it was surprising to discover that he has only directed two operas before. Still, his La Traviata for the Royal Opera House in 1994 is still going strong. Indeed it celebrated it's 15th anniversary this year with a performance starring Renee Flemming which was broadcast in HD last summer (2009). Sir Richard talks about his admiration for Flemming's professionalism and the thrill of seeing the opera broadcast in Trafalgar Square. You can get a DVD of the original production starring Angela Gheorghiu from the Royal Opera House Shop. Click here to find out more.

The music used in this podcast is from the Naxos label and stars Graciela Alpery as Carmen, Giorgio Lamberti as Don Jose and Doina Palade as Micaela. It's conducted by Alexander Rahbari. For more details on the music and to find out where you can buy it, please click here.