Carmen education guide

Contents Characters | 3 Synopsis | 4 Biographies: Composer, librettists & dramatist | 6 Background: Bullfighting | 8 Background: Roma people | 11 Background: Tarot cards | 14 Listening guide |15 Cast Q&A | 17 Additional resources |18

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Scenery pieces for Carmen, off to one side at the Edmonton Opera production facility.

The slat fence, used in Act IV of Carmen during the bullfighting scene.

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Characters

Frasquita | Soprano A gypsy, and one of Carmen’s best friends. Frasquita is always ready to take part in the next adventure. She goes with the flow and likes to have a good time.

(In order of vocal appearance) Morales | Baritone A sergeant in the Spanish army.

Mercédès | Soprano A gypsy and another close friend of Carmen. She loves the bohemian way of life and longs to find true love.

Dancaïro | Baritone A smuggler and a friend of Carmen, who enlists her aid when carrying out illegal escapades.

Escamillo | Baritone A popular bullfighter around Seville. He also falls prey to Carmen’s charms.

Micaëla | Soprano An orphan who has been raised by Don José’s mother in Navarre. Micaëla’s character is the opposite of Carmen, and Micaëla would like Don José to come back home, marry her and live a normal life.

Remendado | Tenor A smuggler and a friend of Carmen, who enlists her aid when carrying out illegal escapades.

Don José | Tenor Sergeant who falls in love with Carmen and eventually deserts the army.

Zuniga | Bass-baritone A lieutenant in charge of the troops stationed in Seville. He is Don José’s superior, and is rather loose in both his morality and authority in Seville. He is easily bought, and more interested in enjoying himself than upholding the law.

Carmen | Mezzo-soprano The femme fatale of this opera. Her character shocked audiences at the time by smoking on stage, seducing soldiers, corrupting customs officials and smuggling on the side.

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Costume design credits: Deanna Finnman

Synopsis

In a heated argument turned violent, Carmen has stabbed another worker. Zuniga arrests her and tries unsuccessfully to interrogate her. Don José is left to guard Carmen, but he cannot hide that he is attracted to her. By seducing him, Carmen is able to escape. Zuniga has José arrested and imprisoned for his dereliction of duty.

Music by Georges Bizet. Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy Premiered March 3, 1875, Opéra-Comique, Paris Act I | A town square, Spain in the early 1930s before the Spanish Civil War Soldiers stand in the square commenting on the locals. Micaëla enters, looking for Don José, a corporal in the nearby regiment.

When she asks Morales about Don José, the other soldiers frighten her off with their advances. The changing of the guard arrives, including José, and their marching and formation is mimicked by children. Morales tell Don José about the young girl in the pretty blue skirt who was looking for him. José knows immediately that it is Micaëla.

Act II | A month later, in a seedy tavern The gypsies and soldiers drink and dance inside a smoky tavern while Carmen sings a sultry Spanish song about the passionate affair between dance and music. She is excited to hear of Don José’s release from prison. Just then, the crowd erupts in praise of the toreador Escamillo, who has won a celebrated bullfight in Granada. He sings of his victory, the glories of bullfighting and the rewards of love in the famous Toreador Song.

The crowd follows him out, but Carmen, Frasquita and Mercédès remain behind. The smugglers Dancaïro and Remendado arrive and together with the three gypsies, sing a quintet of their illegal plans to dispose of some contraband.

Carmen declines to help them, preferring to wait for José.

When Carmen is left alone, José arrives and the two embrace.

Carmen dances a seguidilla for him just as the bugle calls distantly, signalling for his return to barracks. José attempts to leave but Carmen is disappointed and, as part of her plan to manipulate him, mocks him, stating he does not love her.

Instead, he shows her the flower that she threw to him in the square while singing the Flower Song. Carmen is unmoved and demands that José run away with her to the mountains. José refuses, but when Zuniga, his commanding officer, enters and makes a serious pass at Carmen, José is enraged and strikes Zuniga. The smugglers ambush Zuniga and restrain him. José,

The factory bell sounds, the men arrive and the chorus of cigarette girls appears. They light their tobacco rolls and blow smoke rings, singing that all love is mere smoke. Carmen appears, proclaiming she may love one of the men tomorrow, or maybe never, but not today, that is certain. She sings her famous habañera, proclaiming that love is a rebellious bird that cannot be tamed. At the end of her seductive song, she is suddenly struck by her attraction for José. He is oblivious to her. As the fate motif is heard, she hurls a flower at him.

Later, Micaëla shows José a letter from his mother with some money painstakingly saved for him. Micaëla and José sing a love duet.

Shouting is heard from the factory and a commotion ensues.

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seeing that his career is over, casts his lot in with the smugglers and runs away with Carmen.

Once everyone leaves for the bullfight, José confronts Carmen alone, begging her to come back. Carmen tells him clearly, then forcefully that she no longer loves him, but José is undeterred in his jealous obsession. José stabs Carmen to death and as he falls into delirium, submits himself for arrest.

Act III | Three months later at the smugglers’ hideout in the mountains Carmen is now bored with Don José, who regrets his impulsiveness in leaving everything behind, including his mother who lives nearby. When Carmen mocks him and tells him to go back to his mother, José threatens to kill Carmen.

He is left to guard the hideout when the smugglers leave on another contraband mission.

Micaëla appears out of the craggy mountains with a guide.

She is looking for José and is determined to rescue him from Carmen. A gunshot is heard — José has fired at an intruder.

It is Escamillo, who introduces himself to José, asking his way to find Carmen. When José realizes that Escamillo is Carmen’s new lover, he challenges Escamillo to a knife fight.

The smugglers, returning just in time, intervene. Escamillo is grateful and invites the smugglers to his next bullfight before leaving. Micaëla is discovered in hiding and pleas with José, telling him that his mother is dying. He decides to leave with Micaëla, threatening Carmen that they will meet again.

Escamillo is heard singing the Toreador Song offstage.

Act IV | Outside the bullring Street vendors, dignitaries and a jubilant crowd line the street for the arrival of Escamillo and his quadrilla, ready to fight the bull. When Escamillo appears, the crowd cheers. He and Carmen sing a tender love duet and he departs for the contest.

But a jealous José, hiding in the crowd, stalks Carmen. Her friends warn her of his presence, but she rebuffs their concerns.

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Composer Georges Bizet

Although Bizet is primarily remembered as an opera composer, he could have easily had a career as a concert pianist; Franz Lizst called him one of the three finest pianists in Europe at the time.

1838-1875

Georges Bizet didn’t live long enough to see the success of Carmen; he died on June 3, 1875, in Paris, at the age of 36.

Johannes Brahms, however, saw the work many times and said he would have “gone to the ends of the earth to embrace Bizet [for the success of Carmen].”

Three months to the day after the premiere of Carmen He was born on Oct. 25, 1838, in Paris, and registered at birth as (March 3, 1875), Bizet died, Alexandre César Léopold Bizet. His father was an amateur singer having suffered a series of and his uncle was a renowned vocal teacher. Bizet entered the heart attacks.

Paris Conservatory at the age of 10, studying under Fromental Halévy (Bizet would later marry Halévy’s daughter, Genevieve, in 1869, and produce a son, Jacques, in 1872).

Librettists

Ludovic Halévy, 1833 – 1908

In 1857, he won the Prix de Rome for scholarship study in Italy, the same year he composed Le docteur miracle, his first opera.

The Pearl Fishers, in 1863, was his first opera performed on the professional stage at the Theatre Lyrique. His compositions paid more attention to the meaning and emotional content of the words than to the rhythm or metrical pattern — his choice of subject matter and compositional style presaged the development of verismo opera.

Librettist Ludovic Halévy was born on Dec. 31, 1833, in Paris.

His father Léon was a scholar and playwright; his paternal uncle was a well-known composer. Halévy followed in the family tradition of musicians and playwrights.

Bizet would write six operas, leaving approximately another 30 works incomplete or unpublished. However, he earned his living mainly by arranging and transcribing the music of others, since the main Parisian theatres preferred to stage the classics instead of the work of newcomers.

His career started as a government official, working in French administration. He started writing libretti in 1855 (first under the pseudonym 6

Jules Servieres, but using his real name by 1856) for Jacques Offenbach. By 1865, he retired from the public service in order to continue to write. Halévy worked with other librettists, including Hector Crémieux and Henri Meilhac; with Meilhac he wrote pieces for Offenbach including La Belle Helene, La vie Parisenne, La Grand-duchesse du Gérolstein and La Périchole, as well as the libretto for Carmen.

His work is also closely tied to Offenbach, and thanks to operas that he wrote for the composer (most of them with Halévy), Meilhac became very popular in England and was elected as a member of the Académie Francaise for his artistic talents in 1888. He died in Paris on July 6, 1897.

Dramatist

Prosper Mérimée, 1833 – 1908

The 20-year relationship between Meilhac and Halévy is described as a friendly one — Meilhac brought wit and imagination to the work, while Halévy brought a sense of dramatic framework.

Prosper Mérimée was a French dramatist, master of short story and a historian, who held an office as a state archeologist.

His novella Carmen (1845) about jealously and unfaithfulness inspired Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name.

He died in Paris on May 7, 1908.

He was born in Paris in 1803. He first studied law but preferred to study Greek, Spanish, English and Russian languages, and their literature. He also visited Spain in 1830, which became one of his principal literary sources.

After a career under the ministries of navy, commerce and the interior, he was appointed in 1833 inspector-general of historical remains in France.

Henri Meilhac, 1831 – 1897 Librettist Henri Meilhac was born on Feb. 21, 1831, in Paris.

He first worked as a bookseller but also pursued other interests, including writing and drawing for the newspapers Journal pour rire and Vie parisienne. For this work, he initially used the pseudonym Ivan Baskoff.

Along with Chateaubriand, Lamartine, Vigny, Musset, Gautier and George Sand, Mérimée was one of the greatest names of the romantic movement in France. Passionate, destructive love was Mérimée’s subject in many of his short stories, among them the symbolic The Pearl of Toledo.

He made his debut in 1856 as a comedy writer for the one-act musical La Sarabande du cardinal, and subsequently wrote exclusively for theatre. He completed at Mérimée wrote his first play, Cromwell (1822) at the age least 115 works — many in collaboration with other authors — of 19. His historical play, Peasant Revolt (1828), and the including musical comedies, five-act comedies and opera libretti. noval Chronique du Règne de Charles IX (1929) was born in the vogue of historical fiction established by Sir Walter 7

History & definitions of bullfighting

Scott. Mérimée admired Alexander Pushkin and was the first interpreter of Russian literature in France.

In 1813 Mérimée started a long correspondence with a young girl, which was published as Lettres à une inconnue (1873). When the daughter of his friend, Countess of Montijo, became empress Eugénie of France, Mérimée was admitted to the royal circle and made a senator in 1853.

History Often termed “indefensible but irresistible,” the spectacle of bullfighting has existed in one form or another since ancient days.

For example, a contest of some sort is depicted in a wall painting unearthed at Knossos in Crete, dating from about 2,000 BC. It shows male and female acrobats confronting a bull, grabbing its horns as it charges and vaulting over its back.

Bullfights were popular spectacles in ancient Rome, but it was in the Iberian Peninsula that these contests were fully developed.

The Moors from North Africa who overran Andalucia in AD 711 changed bullfighting significantly from the brutish, formless spectacle practiced by the conquered Visigoths to a ritualistic occasion observed in connection with feast days, on which the conquering Moors, mounted on highly trained horses, confronted and killed the bulls.

Among Mérimée’s disreputable friends was Count Libri, Guglielmo Bruto Icilio Timoleone, one of the most accomplished book thieves of all time. Libri was forced to escape with his wife to England, but a host of politicians, artists and writers defended him against accusations. Two years after Libri had been found guilty, Mérimée published in La Revue des Deux Mondes such a loud dense of his friend that the courts ordered him to appear before them, accused of contempt.

As bullfighting developed, the men on foot, who aided the horsemen in positioning the bulls, began to draw more attention from the crowd, and the modern corrida began to take form.

Today, the bullfight is much the same as it has been since about 1726, when Francisco Romero of Ronda, Spain, introduced the estoque (sword) and the muleta (the small, more easily wielded worsted cape used in the last part of the fight).

Mérimé also wrote novels and short stories, archaeological and historical dissertations, and travel books. Among his best known works are Colomba (1840), Carmen, inspired by Manon Lescaut, Abbé Prévost’s story about amour fou, and La Chambre Bleue (1872). Mérimée died in Cannes on Sept. 23, 1870.

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Traditionally, the bullfight is a combination of ritual and mortal combat, with an attempt, at the risk of the principal contestant’s

life, to maneuver a bull gracefully and kill it in a manner both courageous and aesthetically pleasing. Although bullfighting is confined largely to Spain and to the Spanish-speaking countries of the western hemisphere (especially Mexico), such contests also take place in southern France and in Portugal.

they will begin to perform in public with young calves, gradually progressing to older and more developed animals. Novillero, or novice, bullfighters, in the final stage before becoming a professional bullfighter, perform with bulls between the ages of three and four. Given an opportunity to become a professional bullfighter is called taking the alternative, a public ceremony where two professional matadors are present to welcome the novillero; one acting as godfather and the other as a witness.

Professional bullfighters perform with bulls between the age of four and six, weighing between 450 kg and 700 kg.

In Spanish-speaking countries the bullfight is known as la fiesta brava (the brave festival) or la corrida de toros (the running of the bulls). The corrida as it is popularly known, takes place before crowds of enthusiasts, often numbering many thousands.

The matador Ranking the great matadors is highly subjective. Most aficionados would agree, however, that the following names must be included in any list of the modern greats: Rodolfo Gaona, Fermín Espinosa and Arruza of Mexico, and Belmonte, Manolete and Antonio Ordonez of Spain.

Toreadors and matadors In Carmen, Escamillo is a toreador — actually, he’s a matador.

Georges Bizet created the term toreador, from the root words “toro” and “torero,” to refer to matadors. “Toreador” does not exist

Few South Americans have made an impact on the international bullfighting world. Although several North Americans have attempted careers as matadors, only Sidney Franklin and John Fulton Short managed to “take the alternative,” passing the requirements for professional status and accepted as full matadors in a special ceremony.

Many women have also been bullfighters, including the American Patricia McCormick. The greatest, however, was Conchita Cintrón, who fought in Spain and Latin America during the 1940s with great success.

To become a professional matador, most start their career by attending a bullfighting school at a relatively early age. There,

Photo: Nathan Rupert, Flickr; Creative Commons license 9

Photo: Nathan Rupert, Flickr; Creative Commons license

in the Spanish dictionary, but the term “torero� encompasses all the roles in the ring, including picadors and banderillos.

series of manoeuvres done with a large cape known as a capote.

The basic cape manoeuvre is known as veronicas, named after the woman who held out a cloth to Christ on his way to the crucifixion. A matador is applauded for his proximity to the horns of the bull, his tranquility in the face of danger and his grace in swinging the cape. The colour of the cloth does not matter — bulls are colourblind and are not aggravated by the (red) colour, but instead charge instinctively at the large, moving target.

Every matador is a torero, but not every torero is a matador.

The spectacle Three matadors, followed by their assistants, banderillos and the picadors, march into the ring, accompanied by paso doble (march rhythm) music. Matadors wear a silk jacket heavily embroidered in gold, skintight trousers and a montera (bicorne hat). These outfits are known as traje de luces (suit of lights) and can cost many thousands of dollars; a top matador may have at least six suits per season.

When the bull enters the arena, the matador greets it with a

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Bearing lances and mounted on horses (who are padded in compliance with a ruling passed in 1930), the picadors perform the second part of the bullfight. Their outfits consist of flatbrimmed, beige felt hats called castorenos, chamois trousers and steel leg armour. Since many of these riders were of noble birth, they are the only torero, other than the matador, who are allowed

Carmen’s gypsies & the Roma people

to wear gold embroidery on their jackets. During the off-season, many picadors play an important role in the breeding of these bulls by working on fighting bull ranches, determining stock quality and selecting breeding animals. Many picadors are also heavy-set, to withstand the considerable force of impact when a bull charges their horse, and to avoid being lifted off their mount.

History Roma, commonly known as Gypsies, are a traditionally nomadic people found throughout the world. Carmen and her friends are Roma, and some of their characteristics are based on negative stereotypes. While the term gypsy is often attached to anyone leading a nomadic life, the Roma share a common biological, cultural and linguistic heritage that sets them apart as an ethnic group.

After three lancings (or less, depending on the judgment of the corrida president that day), the banderillos, on foot, advance to place their banderillas (brightly adorned, barbed sticks) in the bull’s shoulders to lower its head for the eventual kill. In case the matador is injured, the banderillas wait close by the ring to perform a “quite,” a pass designed to distract the bull away from the downed matador.

When they first arrived in Europe over 500 years ago, the Roma were called Gypsies in the mistaken belief that they had come from Egypt. The true origins of the Roma remained a mystery until the late 18th century, when European linguists discovered connections between the Romani language and certain dialects spoken in northwestern India. More recent linguistic and historical studies have confirmed that the Roma originated in India.

There are four types of passes: the trincherazo, generally done with one knee on the ground and at the beginning of the faena, the pase de la firma, where the matador simply moves the cloth in front of the bull’s nose while remaining motionless, the manoletina, where the muleta is held behind the body (invented by the great Spanish matador Monolete, Manuel Laureano Rodriguez Sanchez) and the natural, where the matador takes the sword out of the muleta, reducing the target size and tempting the bull to charge at the larger object — the bullfighter.

About eight million Roma live in Europe, and they make up the continent’s largest minority population. The largest concentrations of Roma are found in the Balkan peninsula of southeastern Europe, in central Europe, in Russia and the other successor republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Smaller Roma populations are scattered throughout western Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Americas.

After several minutes of working closer and closer to the horns, the bullfighter takes the sword and lines the bull up for the kill.

The blade must go between the bull’s shoulder blades. Because the space there is very small, it is imperative that the front feet of the bull be together as the matador hurtles over the horns. This requires discipline, training and raw courage, making it known as the moment of truth.

Little is known about the early history of the Roma. It is not 11

clear whether they lived on the periphery of Indian civilization, were members of one or more Hindu castes, or represented a number of different social classes and tribal groups. They apparently left their original homeland in northern India in several waves, beginning as early as the fifth century. The most important migrations began in the 11th century following Muslim invasions of India. Their route into Europe can be traced by vocabulary borrowings found in modern European dialects, all of which contain words from languages such as Persian, Kurdish and Greek. The Roma initially travelled westward across Iran into Asia Minor. From there the majority proceeded into Europe by way of Greece, during the early 14th century. After about 100 years in Greece, the Roma spread through Europe. By the early 16th century, they had reached most areas of the continent, including Russia, Scandinavia, the British Isles and Spain.

In tsarist Russia (1547-1917), for instance, their circumstances differed little from those of other impoverished peasants. In the Balkans, during almost 500 years of Turkish rule, many Roma enjoyed special privileges by converting to Islam.

Discrimination against Roma, however, has persisted in much of Europe. In the 20th century, persecutions reached their height during the Second World War (1939–1945), when as many as 500,000 Roma perished in Nazi concentration camps.

In the Communist countries of post-war eastern Europe, the Roma were subjected to government-sponsored forced assimilation programs. Designed to integrate the Roma into the dominant national cultures of the region, these programs often had the effect of depriving the Roma of their distinctive language and culture. Since the fall of Communism in the late 1980s and early 1990s, eastern Europe has seen a revival of more violent anti-Roma sentiment. Roma people in western Europe are also under pressure to abandon their traditional nomadic way of life. In France, for example, their access to campsites has long been restricted.

The Roma were generally well-received in Europe at first, but their unfamiliar customs and closed society soon aroused antagonism. In Spain, the Roma enjoyed freedom under Muslim rule, but their situation changed after the Christian conquest of that country in 1492. Between 1499 and 1783 the Spanish government enacted at least a dozen laws prohibiting Romani dress, language and customs. In France, the first official repression of Roma occurred in 1539 when they were expelled from Paris. In 1563 the Roma were commanded to leave England under the threat of death. Beginning in the 15th century, Hungarian and Romanian nobles who needed labourers for their large estates forced many Roma into slavery.

In Romania, the enslavement of Roma did not end until 1855.

The Roma, however, have been increasingly active in political and cultural movements to establish their rights and preserve their Costume design credits: Deanna heritage. In 1979 the United Finnman

The Roma were not treated so harshly everywhere in Europe.

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Nations recognized the Roma as a distinct ethnic group.

The International Romani Union, a non-governmental organization, represents the world’s Roma at the UN. Other organizations, such as the Union Romani of Spain and Phralipe of Hungary, campaign for civil rights in specific countries or regions.

In stories and movies, Roma women usually wear long, colourful skirts, a flower in their hair and lots of jewelry. This dress is rooted in fact — a Roma woman will grow her hair long, usually worn braided until she is married. Once she marries, she will always wear a head scarf in public. Instead of worrying about a bank or safe deposit boxes, Roma convert their wealth into gold and carry it themselves, as jewelry, hair Customs and cultures or clothing decorations. Roma men have no typical costume, Because the Roma are widely dispersed, their culture and social but since the head is viewed as the body’s focal point, many organization vary considerably. An important characteristic men will grow a mustache and/or wear a large hat to accentuate everywhere, however, is a strong sense of group identity. it. Both men and women wear bright colours.

Roma culture stresses the sacredness of its own traditions in opposition to those of the The Roma have exerted a significant influence on the artistic outside world. Contact with history of Europe. Roma fortune tellers, dancing bears and non-Roma is regarded as caravans enliven European literature and folklore. Many Roma potentially polluting, a belief traditionally worked as musicians and entertainers, and Roma probably derived from the influence has been particularly strong in the field of music. religious beliefs of the Roma’s Romani folk music has inspired many of Europe’s greatest Hindu ancestors. Another composers, including Hungarian composers Béla Bartók, unifying force is their language, Franz Liszt, Zoltán Kodály, Georges Bizet of France and Romani, which consists of a Romanian composer Georges Enesco. The popular flamenco number of dialects belonging song and dance of Spain originated from the Roma and still to the Indo-Iranian branch of retain a distinctive Roma spirit. Roma musical traditions the Indo-European languages. continue to flourish in many parts of eastern Europe, especially Most Roma speak some form in Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia. Aside from music and of Romani. Romani is primarily entertainment, Roma generally pursue traditional occupations, a spoken, rather than written, including blacksmithing and metalwork, horse and stock language. Until recent years, trading, peddling and small-scale commerce, fortune-telling most Roma were illiterate, and and curing, and crafts such as basket-making and wood illiteracy rates remain high in carving. most Roma communities.

Costume design credits: Deanna Finnman

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History of tarot cards

An early form of playing cards, tarot cards were developed with mass produced. The iconography on the cards blends a mix four suits — Swords, Cups, Batons and Coins — with cards of ancient symbols, religious allegories and historical events. numbering one to 10 in each suit, plus four face cards. The Certain illustrations have evolved over time, shown by deck also has a 21-card trump suit, plus a single card known comparing various decks from different time periods. as the Fool. Each suit is thought The four suits correspond to Card interpretations to represent the four elements matters of the heart, money, The Fool: young and inexperienced — Wands for fire (ambition aggression and spirituality. The 22 The Magician: relating to a person’s talents and passion), Cups for water trumps cards are considered major The High Priestess: wisdom, vision and serenity (emotions), Swords for air (purity arcana, which are considered to The Empress: mothering, fertility and desire of mind) and Coins represent the represent a person’s travels through The Emperor: authority and power earth (tangible items and tasks). life and significant milestones or The Heirophant: knowledge and experience The Lovers: bonding and union periods in their personal journey.

The Chariot: victory over tribulation Tarot cards were originally The 56 cards, comprised of the four Strength: self-discipline developed as playing cards to suits, are considered minor arcana.

The Hermit: introspective and reflective play the game tarocchi (similar to Wheel of Fortune: a turning point in the journey bridge) and used through much The correlation between cards and Justice: objectivity and analysis of Europe. In North America, fortune telling did not originate The Hanged Man: state of surrender or passivity Death: an ending or conclusion to something, or a change where those games are less popular with tarot cards themselves, Temperance: harmony and balance or known, tarot cards are used although the Church condemned The Devil: anger or self-captivity primarily for divinatory purposes. all forms of playing cards and not The Tower: chaos or difficulties The first known, documented tarot just fortune-telling.

The Star: peace and tranquility cards were created between 1430 The Moon: doubt and confusion, relating to the and 1450 in northern Italy, while Before cards are dealt, a question imagination The Sun: radiant and positive influences the oldest surviving cards are from must be posed, and then a reader Judgment: acceptance of past mistakes 15 fragmented decks painted in the interprets the spread of cards.

The World: accomplishment mid-15th century for the rulers of The cards are read in context of Milan. the question — the meaning of a card is not absolute — and so can be a firm prediction of the Tarot cards were originally hand-painted, so it was only after future, or a warning if the person does not change their current the invention of the printing press that the decks became course. Carmen sees the death card as her fate, unchangeable 14

Listening guide Overture

The overture is comprised of three major themes that are used later in the opera. It begins with the music that is sung by the chorus at the beginning of Act IV as they prepare for the bullfight, then with an interjection of the theme from the Toreador Song sung by Escamillo in Act II. The overture finishes with a mysterious and unsettling theme which is meant to represent both Carmen and the concept of fate. This theme will reoccur throughout the opera, usually accompanying important events in the plot.

Habañera “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (Love is a rebellious bird)

When the cigarette girls leave the factory, they are watched by a group of men. Don José is the only one who appears uninterested, so to catch his attention, Carmen throws a flower at him.

The habañera is perhaps the most recognizable aria in the opera. It is heavily influenced, both metrically and melodically, by Spanish musical style. The song originated in Cuba and spread throughout Spanish colonies all over the world. Carmen’s downward phrases Photo: Atell Rohlandt, Flickr; Creative Commons license are chromatic, moving by small steps. Plus, the character’s role also defies conventional opera-singing decorum by sliding her voice and absolute, but the death card is not always interpreted in the down at the end of some lines. The four-note tango rhythm heard at literal sense. It can imply that something is coming to an end, the very beginning can be continuously heard throughout the aria’s or there is a time of great change coming. entire duration — the cellos play this rhythm over 100 times.

Fortune-telling is one of the negative stereotypes of Roma, and while it is true that Roma practice this, it is only for outsiders and a source of livelihood, never among themselves. Although she might have believed in predestiny, Carmen and her friends most likely would not have been telling their own fortunes.

“Les tringles des sistres tintaient” (The jingles of the sistrums tinkled)

Carmen and her friends entertain officers and gypsies in a tavern The piece begins very calmly, both in tempo and dynamics. After 15

a lengthy orchestral introduction, Carmen sings three verses, each followed by a refrain where Frasquita and Mercédès join in. With each passing verse, the music becomes faster, louder and more heavily orchestrated, progressively increasing the excitement and rhythmic drive of the piece.

kept the flower that she threw to him at their first meeting, as a sign of his continued loving and devoted thoughts.

“Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” (I say that nothing can frighten me)

Micaëla goes to the mountains in search of Don José, even though she is afraid. She is determined and prays for the courage to continue, so that she can find him and convince him to return home.

Micaëla’s only aria in the opera shows the contrast between her character and Carmen — selfless, strong and serene, compared to Carmen’s bold, incendiary and often selfish characteristics. Micaëla has come to tell Don José that his mother is dying and to encourage him to return home, and so she sings of the courage she will need to face Carmen while doing so. The aria starts off quite timid, with the tempo increasing and dynamics increasing as Micaëla gains strength and conviction in her quest, and ends with a gentle plea for God to protect her and give her courage.

Toreador Song “Votre toast … je peux vous le rendre” (Your toast … I can return)

The famous bullfighter, Escamillo, has just entered the tavern. He leads the crowd in a rousing song depicting the life of a toreador, or bullfighter.

This songs alternates between two contrasting styles. The verses are sung in a minor key that give Escamillo’s words a heightened sense of drama and suspense as he sings about the toreador’s heroic activities during a bullfight. The refrain is in a major key, complementing Escamillo’s words as he switches from singing about bullfighting to dreaming of potential love. When Escamillo encounters Carmen, he asks her, “Tell me your name and the next time I kill a bull, yours will be the name that I say.” Carmen tells him that she is currently not available. The excitement of the crowd (chorus) is apparent when they join Escamillo later in the refrain.

“Les voici, voici le quadrille!” (Here they are, here’s the quadrille!)

The spectators (chorus) are waiting to catch a glimpse of the procession of the bullfighters, in particular Escamillo.

“La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” (The flower that you tossed This section begins quietly as the chorus sings the words “Les to me) voici!” (Here they are), and then repeated as excitement builds.

When he is released from prison, Don José travels to the tavern to The entrance of the toreadors is marked with a cymbal crash and find Carmen and tell her that he must return to service. Carmen is a reprise of the lively music heard at the beginning of the overture. infuriated and instead tries to persuade him to come with her to the To convey the effect of a large crowd shouting and conversing, Bizet mountains. Don José tells her that he has saved the flower that she overlapped lines about different aspects of the procession, leaving threw to him when they first met. space for instrumental interludes (giving the impression that the The English horn plays the fate motif that was first heard in the procession is advancing). When Escamillo appears, the ensemble overture, implying that it was fate that led Don Jose to Carmen. once again sings the Toreador Song.

Even though he must return to his post, he shows her that he has 16

Carmen artists Q &A

Vanessa Oude-Reimerink | soprano, Frasquita Have you performed in Edmonton before?

Yes! I performed with Opera NUOVA for two seasons in Edmonton — first, singing Clara in The Light in the Piazza in 2011, and then singing Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring in 2012.

I loved exploring Edmonton during those two summers, particularly Cafe Leva, Whyte Avenue and the West Edmonton Mall.

We asked the artists a couple of questions to help our audiences get to know the personalities on stage. Biographies of the full cast of Carmen can be found at edmontonopera.com.

Catherine Daniel | soprano, Mercédès Do you have a personal connection with Carmen and/or the role you are performing with the Edmonton Opera?

Mercédès! I first sang this role in 2010 with Manitoba Opera. I have since been a part of two abridged Carmen productions. I absolutely love this music and hope to sing in this opera for many years to come.

Do you have a personal connection with Carmen and/or the role you are performing with Edmonton Opera?

Carmen was actually the first opera I ever saw — my girlfriends and I went to see it in Toronto when we were in high school.

Which composer is your favourite and why?

I love Bizet because he puts so much movement in his pieces.

He also writes amazingly for singers. His melodies stay in your head, in the best way.

What first interested you in opera?

When I was in third year during my undergrad at Western University, I auditioned for the opera workshop. That year, I sang a large excerpt from Don Pasquale as Norina in the opera excerpts concert. I absolutely fell in love with the scene (the Act II wedding scene) and was bitten by the opera bug. From then

Aaron Dimoff | bass-baritone, Zuniga What first interested you in opera?

In high school I became interested in music of all kinds, particularly as a drummer in heavy metal bands. I also studied voice and piano on the side. When it came time to go to university, I found it difficult to find a school that would let me major in heavy metal drumming, so on recommendation of a teacher at

UWO, I entered the voice faculty and quickly discovered opera to be just as dramatic, challenging and epic as my previous musical interests.

Which character would you love the opportunity to sing?

Scarpia from Tosca. He’s the epitome of an operatic villian, and so evil that you can completely leave yourself behind and pretend to be this horrible creature for an evening. Not to mention his music is thrilling.

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Additional resources

• The scenery and costumes for Carmen were built in Edmonton, as this new production is set within the tumultuous years leading up to the Spanish Civil War. Watch a timelapse of some of the scenery components being built, with commentary from the technical director, the director and scenery designer. (Available on Edmonton Opera’s YouTube channel starting the week of Dec. 14, 2015.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UoFqwgHhdM • The scenery for Carmen was designed by Camellia Koo, the costumes were designed by Deanna Finnman, and everything was built in Edmonton Opera’s north Edmonton production facility. But what would it look like built out of Lego? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p9lzLLT4A8 • In his Carmen Opera Talk, San Diego’s Nick Reveles guides viewers through the opera’s history, from its turbulent inception to its present status as a timeless masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYkcRcRkyU

• A conversation with Stephan Bonfield, musicologist, can be found on iTunes (search Edmonton Opera in podcasts) or in the audio/music section of the Edmonton Opera app, starting the week of Dec. 14, 2015.

• Discussions from our Opera 101 panel will be available on our YouTube channel the week of Jan. 18, 2016. (Opera 101 is a complimentary event held before each opera, at CKUA in the Alberta Hotel. The multi-disciplinary panel for Carmen will be held on Jan. 13, 2016, at 7 p.m.)

• Camellia Koo’s whole family is in the arts; Maclean’s magazine takes a look (through video and copy) at the really cool job the scenery designer for Carmen gets to do every day. http://www.macleans.ca/work/jobs/cool-jobs-qa-set-andcostume-designer/

• If Carmen sounds familiar, it’s likely because you’ve heard it somewhere before. Seattle Opera details many of the places in pop culture where the music from Carmen is heard. http://www.seattleoperablog.com/2011/10/carmen-in-popculture.html

• Read Schmopera’s Q&A with Lida Szkwarek, who is singing the role of Micaela in Carmen. http://www.schmopera.com/spotlight-on-lida-szkwarek/ • And Soundboard had a conversation with Gregory Dahl, who is singing the role of Escamillo in Carmen. http://soundboard.roythomson.com/index. php/2012/12/21/gregory-dahl/

• So now you know the music, but need a bit of a refresher on the story? Opera Five has you covered in this 2:30 video.

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