I ask the question because quite frankly in this production it is the story of Don Jose that is most prevalent, a notion underlined by having him appear in the prologue, clutching the remains of a dried up flower and then being dragged off to meet his maker before the opera proper starts. As a concept it works quite well and the point isn't laboured, but you have to have a reasonably good Jose to sustain the focus of the audience.....luckily this production does.
Thought I'd start off my reviews by revisiting a much loved DVD dating from a 2006 Covent Garden production starring Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Caterina Antonacci as the eponymous heroine. This features Kaufmann on the cusp of operatic stardom, probably one of the performances that launched him into greater public awareness. And he certainly got my attention when I first saw this DVD last year. He sweeps away the notion of Jose as wimpy mama's boy and instead presents a character who is potentially dangerous right from the word go, charting the journey from a intense young man with potential for violence, to obsessive lover and then finally to murderous psychopath, with chilling conviction. He certainly had me on the edge of my seat for the final act.
So much for the excellent acting, what about the voice? I could go into raptures but that has been done elsewhere, either a voice speaks to you or it doesn't. This one speaks volumes. He has a rich baritonal-tinted voice but one that also easily essays the tenorial heights when required. He also has exquisite pianissimos, used tastefully but to devastating effect in the Flower Song. But most of all he puts his voice at the service of the music AND the drama. This may result in a few rough patches where emotion clearly gets the better of him, but the result is worth it.
His Carmen in this production, Anna Caterina Antonacci, is no slouch in the dramatic department either. Her Carmen is sensual, sexual and downright earthy. Some might not like this approach but I do - Carmen is a gypsy with all that entails, not some picture postcard polite Spanish señorita. She inhabits the character with all her considerable might although, in the end, I was still left wondering who she was. Perhaps there isn't an answer to that one. Her soprano voice is slightly lighter than those I'm used to hearing as Carmen (a part normally essayed by mezzos) but it blended nicely with Kaufmann's heftier tone and I certainly didn't feel that there was anything lacking.
Other parts were taken competently if not brilliantly. Norah Ansellem is not the usually sickly-sweet Micaela although I still can't warm to the character. Her singing was also richer toned that most Micaela's and all the more welcome for that. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo made an impressive entrance as Escamillo on horseback (being carefully led by lackeys it has to be said) and made an adequate impression in what I would class as a pretty thankless part.
Francesca Zambello's production told the story well, was convincingly grubby in parts and didn't go to town on the faux Spanishness that some productions seem to excel in. But neither did it unearth any special insights into an already very well known opera. On DVD it looked fine in close up, all burnt reds and oranges and set in a fairly minimalist set. This production is being revived in the 2013-14 season at Covent Garden so I hope to see this production in the flesh and report back then.
