BIZET: Carmen.(Review)

BIZET: Carmen [] Verrett, Te Kanawa, Cahill, Pashley; Domingo, van Dam, Van Allan, Allen; Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Solti. French libretto only. 1973. MYTO MCD 012.242 (3) (Qualiton, dist.)

These days, we have a plethora of seriously considered updatings, arbitrary, mindless updatings and downright infuriating updatings, all in an attempt to help opera regain its vitality. In the case of Carmen, perhaps the most performed of all operas, another option appeared before the onslaught of deconstruction. That option was a return to the original form of the work, that of an opera comique, with spoken dialogue, rather than the sung recitative by Ernest Guiraud, that had became part and parcel of the familiar grand-opera version of Carmen. The Met used some of the dialogue in its 1972 production for Marilyn Horne and James McCracken, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. A year later, at Covent Garden, Georg Solti led performances of the Oeser edition, with far more of the dialogue, and it is from a broadcast of one of these performances that Myto has drawn this release.

Opera's then-editor, Harold Rosenthal, complained (as did many of the critics) about the inaudibility of the French dialogue in the house. There were also complaints about the inability of an international cast to deliver it convincingly -- save, of course, the impeccable Jose van Dam. On this recording there is no difficulty in hearing the lines, and they seem well coached and suitably animated. Myto supplies a libretto that reflects the edition performed, in French only; if an English translation is necessary, the listener needs to find another comique version that supplies a translation. Solti's 1975 studio recording (Decca 414489) uses the Oeser edition and many of the same principals as this performance.

Fans of Placido Domingo and of Shirley Verrett will find much to enjoy here. Both singers are in good form, particularly the mezzo. Verrett is quite interesting. Hers has always been an individual timbre, perhaps not beautiful in the conventional sense, but unique, and possessing an innate animal intensity that can snarl or purr. Almost at odds with this seething quality is ...