Carmen Finds Her
Spotlight

It's not very often that a lowly music critic gets the privilege of witnessing a glowing performance by a major new talent at the beginning of his or her career, but that is certainly what happened to yours truly on the evening of November 15 at the Los Angeles Opera. Viktoria Vizin, an astounding new mezzo-soprano making her L.A. Opera debut as Carmen this season, took my breath away. But more of that anon.

Georges Bizet's Carmen is one of the most perfect operas in the repertoire -- a statement I think few would dispute. It has a great plot, fully realized characters, and a brilliant score full of hit tunes that even the most avid opera hater could probably whistle in his sleep.

It's also an opera that's hard to sabotage; only the most inept of performances could fail to please a public that never grows tired of it. Fortunately, this night's performance in Los Angeles was far from inept; in fact, it was one of the most enthralling, entertaining, and fully satisfying performances of this opera that I have ever witnessed.

Perhaps we should start at the top, and this brings us back to newcomer Viktoria Vizin. Since the title character is the beating heart of the work, the lead singer can either make or break this opera's performance. In a word, Vizin is astounding. A singer with an incredible range, Vizin had everything going for her this evening: a rich, creamy, virtually flawless mezzo voice; great stage presence; astonishingly well-thought-out acting; and palpable sex appeal. We're far from the days of matronly Carmens here -- Vizin brought the character to life, and it was easy to see why anyone -- male or female -- would find her unbridled sexuality irresistible. Vizin is definitely one to watch -- in my opinion, probably one of the great opera stars of the coming generation.

Richard Strauss famously referred to himself as a "first-rate second-rate composer," and many might refer to tenor Marcus Haddock in the same way, only substituting the word singer. Haddock is definitely second-string, but he made a strong showing this evening, growing in strength through each successive act. The famous "Flower Song" was delivered nicely, but Haddock really warmed to his task in the final duet. Though no Domingo or Vickers (both famous portrayers of Don Jose), Haddock made his character's torment and rage very real, and his final confrontation with Carmen was riveting.

Baritone Raymond Aceto as the bullfighter Escamillo, the third point in this famous love triangle, gave the second strongest performance of the evening, definitely surpassing Haddock in vocal prowess. Aceto's voice could quite easily be described as golden. Rich and effortless, it brought off the famous (or perhaps infamous) "Toreador Song" with aplomb. Add to this Aceto's smoldering sexiness (both physically and vocally) and we had an Escamillo of one's dreams.

Genia Kuhmeier's Michaela was sung sweetly, but not exceptionally. Granted, Michaela does not have the depth or range of the title character, being pretty much a one-note part, but Kuhmeier didn't add a great deal of distinction to what was overall a first-rate cast. However, she did sing her big third act aria very nicely, but there was not much in her performance that raised her above one's usual expectations of the role.

Surprisingly, the secondary characters were universally top-drawer, the two main standouts being Kendall Gladen's Mercedes and Daniel Montenegro's Dancairo. Gladen possesses a tantalizing mezzo voice -- she may prove a formidable Carmen herself in the future -- and Montenegro's sweet tenor, swaggering stage presence, and appealing good looks promise much success for him in the coming years.

The production is not a new one -- it's a revival from a few years back -- but it's one honey of a staging that I think begs for a permanent place in the L.A. Opera's repertoire. Fortunately, producer Emilio Sagi has eschewed neurotic modernism for a colorful traditional approach that doesn't have its own ax to grind, a problem found in so many modern "conceptual" productions. But this is no museum-piece Carmen; there are many innovations in the staging that prove that "traditional" need not translate as "dull." Of particular interest was director Javier Ulacia's staging of the final duet, which brooded with foreboding and ended with a hesitant Don Jose being almost forced to stab Carmen against his will, as if being compelled to do so by fate. Real drama on the opera stage -- what a concept!

Emmanuel Villaume's conducting was idiomatic and energetic, and the sets and costumes were uniformly dazzling, many of them eliciting spontaneous applause from an obviously delighted audience. Add to this a corps of extremely attractive and talented flamenco dancers in the second and fourth acts, and the result was a performance that will live in this critic's memory for some time to come.