Carmen was Amazing!

From the moment I stepped out of the train at Waterloo, the evening was perfect. The walk to the theater, the Royal Opera House, Carmen, the beautifully sparkling cityscape on the walk back to the station...couldn't have asked for a better date night.

Edgar discovered, and I can't believe he knew something about this city that I didn't know, that Covent Garden (where the Royal Opera House is located) is just over the Waterloo Bridge. So, instead of groundhogging it all the way to the Covent Garden tube stop, we both met up at Waterloo Station and walked over the bridge to our destination. It's a beautiful walk...the London Eye and Big Ben's Clock Tower on the left and St. Paul's Cathedral on the right, all spanning a lively River Thames at the end of a work day.

The ROH is a beautiful building, gleaming white with stunning Greek architecture. After retrieving our pre-paid tickets from the very efficient box office, we checked our coats and made our way to the Orchestra Stalls right. As we rounded the corner to enter the staircase, we both stopped and took a little gasp of air upon first glimpsing the truly extraordinary interior. Golden guild covered intricate carvings and details around the stage, the seating levels and the beautiful pale blue ceiling. I always wondered how the conductor can get an entire orchestra AND singing cast coordinated, and then I noticed very discreet TV monitors in various locations around the theater broadcasting the conductor...so that's how they do it! We were seated about 15 rows from the stage, so in addition to hearing the great music and voices, we were to able to really see the facial expressions of the cast and witness the emotion they put into the performance.

The orchestra began playing the prelude (the video above), which includes two of the three more famous pieces, and the fun began. Carmen has probably some of the most recognizable numbers out of all the operas. The very first song in the prelude may be familiar to some of you...it's the very fast classical piece featured in the "Beef-It's What's for Dinner" ad campaigns. You know the one...it sounds like the music is swirling around and you can't imagine that anyone can move their fingers fast enough to keep up with it. The two other pieces are Toreador , the bullfighter's song (also included in the prelude), and Habanera, which Carmen sings.

The setting of Carmen is Spain and it's sung in French, which is quite a contrast! Good thing they have English subtitles on a monitor over the stage so you can keep up. This is a brief summary, in my own words, of the major elements of Carmen. Don Jose, while studying to become a priest, has fled the country and joined the Army after killing someone, leaving his dying mother and fiance behind. Carmen is a flirtatious gypsy who wins the affections of Don Jose and promises her unabiding love to him. He leaves the Army to join Carmen and her gypsy gang, making him somewhat of an outlaw. After a little fight, Carmen decides she does not love him anymore and falls for the Toreador (bullfighter). Don Jose becomes a little obsessive, does not take the rejection very well, and kills Carmen. Amongst the love and anguish are wonderful costumes, flamenco dancing, great voices, and all the drama you can imagine.

Seeing an opera in person is much different than just listening to it on CD or the radio. The talent of everyone involved is truly amazing and admirable and something I think you should do at least once in your life. Trust me, you will want to sing all of your conversations in the most dramatic way possible for at least the next week! Thanks for checking in...I'm off to decide on something for dinner. For some reason, I'm inspired to eat beef. Ciao!