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‘Carmen’ could take company to new level
opera western reserve
The OWR is becoming entrenched in the Valley’s cultural scene.
Opera Western Reserve turned the corner last year with its production of “Madame Butterfly.”
The Puccini opera drew a very respectable house of 1,400 at Stambaugh Auditorium and was a critical success. The excellent performance of the timeless tale of love and rejection seemed to make opera fans out of scores of Youngstowners, judging by the rapt audience.
But if “Butterfly” marked OWR’s arrival, this year’s production of “Carmen” — considered the most popular opera of all time — could take the company to a new level.
The momentum is evident. The first day tickets went on sale for “Carmen” (Oct. 1) was the single-biggest box- office day in OWR’s short history, said David Vosburgh, executive director, although he wouldn’t reveal numbers.
The OWR, he noted, is becoming entrenched in the Valley’s cultural scene.
“People now say, ‘In the fall, we go to the opera,’” said Vosburgh.
“Carmen” was written by Georges Bizet and first performed in Paris in 1875. The original story is set in Seville, Spain, around 1830, but OWR’s production will be set in the late 1940s to make it more accessible, said Vosburgh.
The story of “Carmen” can easily transfer to any era, according to Vosburgh. “The libretto was written in 1875, and some things keep it there, but the period has nothing to do with the story,” he said.
“It’s a story of love and jealousy that everybody understands,” Vosburgh continued. “Don Jose gives up the girl he should marry for a wild night. It’s a very real story. The emotion and the melody is a winning combination.”
The story revolves around Carmen, a beautiful Gypsy with a fiery temper. She woos the corporal Don Jose, an inexperienced soldier. Their relationship leads him to reject his former love, mutiny against his superior and join a gang of smugglers. When Carmen dumps him for a bullfighter, Don Jose’s jealousy turns to murder.
The Youngstown audience will see the opera performed as Bizet originally intended: with the dialogue spoken, and not sung, as became the norm after Bizet’s death.
Further, the dialog will be in English, although the arias will be sung in French, with subtitles projected on either side of the stage.
The cast includes mezzo-soprano Jennifer Barsamian as Carmen.
Barsamian is a native New Yorker who earned a master’s degree in opera and voice from North Carolina School of the Arts. This will be her third “Carmen” — she performed the role last year with Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble in New York and the New Jersey Verismo Opera.
“I enjoy singing the role of Carmen because of her fire and strength, as she is a complex character with much depth to her,” said Barsamian in an e-mail interview. “She is a Gypsy who does not want to be tied down by anyone, even the love of Don Jose, who I believe she actually allows herself to love. Freedom is her main objective.”
Barsamian’s other credits include Utah Festival Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Asheville Lyric Opera, The Queens Choral Society and The West Hartford Symphony.
The cast also includes Clayton Hilley as Don Jose; Dione Parker Bennett as Micaela; Rachel Copeland, Mercedes; Marie Masters, Frasquita; Phillippe Pierce, El Remendado; Max J. Pivik, El Dancairo; and Scott Skiba, Escamillo. Kendall Garczewski and Jens Lee of Ballet Western Reserve also perform in the opera.
Vosburgh is production director, set designer and general manager. Susan Davenny Wyner, music director of the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra, will be music director and conductor. Barb Luce is costume designer, and Tony Ferrello is lighting designer.
The performance will be dedicated to Elizabeth Louise “Betty” Allen (1927-2009), a Campbell native who became a distinguished mezzo-soprano and one of the first black singers to achieve prominence on the international opera stage.
if you go
What: Opera Western Reserve’s production of “Carmen”
When: Friday
Where: Stambaugh Auditorium
Tickets: $15, $30, 45 and $60; call (330) 480-0693