Bizet's La Tragédie de Carmen, Wilton's Music Hall
Carmen loves the men who don't love her. But when one of them weakens, disaster ensues for all involved
There is something rotten in Seville in La Tragédie de Carmen. Image: AKA
Bizet's Carmen is one of the best-loved works in the repertoire, and even those who never go to the opera will recognise many of its great tunes. In the new year, the Royal Opera House will have a full-scale production of this masterly work. But first another, small-scale production takes a fresh look at the story of rival passions in Seville.
La Tragédie de Carmen was devised by the theatre director Peter Brook in 1981 for his small theatre Bouffes du Nord in his then adopted home of Paris. He worked with the composer Marius Constant and writer Jean-Claude Carrière to find the essence of the opera that has been given many stagings in the years since its premier in 1875.
The team wanted to strip away to the very heart of the piece – the relationships between the four main characters.
Director Gerard Jones is a rising star at the Royal Opera House. Photo: ROH/Roger Way
La Tragédie de Carmen has been performed many times, and filmed, since that very first experiment. This new production for the Royal Opera House at Wilton's Music Hall features rising young international artists supported by the company's innovative Jette Parker scheme, which nurtures the next generation of stars.
Carmen is sung by the Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akmetshina, her new lover Don José by New Zealand tenor Thomas Atkins, the jealous toreador Escamillo by Hungarian baritone Gyula Nagy, and Don José's jilted Micaëla by American soprano Francesca Chiejina. Directing is Gerard Jones, who made his debut as an ROH director last year at Wilton's with Handel's Oreste.
James Hendry conducts the dynamic Southbank Sinfonia. La Tragédie de Carmen is sung in French with English surtitles.
Booking at Wilton's Music Hall is open now. Booking via the Royal Opera House opens 9AM Wed 26 July
La Tragédie de Carmen was devised by the theatre director Peter Brook in 1981 for his small theatre Bouffes du Nord in his then adopted home of Paris. He worked with the composer Marius Constant and writer Jean-Claude Carrière to find the essence of the opera that has been given many stagings in the years since its premier in 1875.
The team wanted to strip away to the very heart of the piece – the relationships between the four main characters.
Director Gerard Jones is a rising star at the Royal Opera House. Photo: ROH/Roger Way
La Tragédie de Carmen has been performed many times, and filmed, since that very first experiment. This new production for the Royal Opera House at Wilton's Music Hall features rising young international artists supported by the company's innovative Jette Parker scheme, which nurtures the next generation of stars.
Carmen is sung by the Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akmetshina, her new lover Don José by New Zealand tenor Thomas Atkins, the jealous toreador Escamillo by Hungarian baritone Gyula Nagy, and Don José's jilted Micaëla by American soprano Francesca Chiejina. Directing is Gerard Jones, who made his debut as an ROH director last year at Wilton's with Handel's Oreste.
James Hendry conducts the dynamic Southbank Sinfonia. La Tragédie de Carmen is sung in French with English surtitles.
Booking at Wilton's Music Hall is open now. Booking via the Royal Opera House opens 9AM Wed 26 July
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| What | Bizet's La Tragédie de Carmen, Wilton's Music Hall |
| Where | Wilton's Music Hall, 1 Graces Alley, London, E1 8JB | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Tower Hill (underground) |
| When |
03 Nov 17 – 14 Nov 17, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM |
| Price | £15 - £30 |
| Website | Click here for more information and booking |