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Carmen
The usually meticulous, cerebral baton of Herbert von Karajan would seem like an odd match for Bizet's Carmen, but he leads the forces of the Wiener Staatsoper in a lively, well-sung performance that gives real weight to the opera's theme of despair. Leading the cast is Regina Resnik, predictably thrilling in the final duet and surprisingly idiomatic and seductive in the role's more beguiling passages. "Idiomatic and seductive" can't really describe her Don José, Bulgarian tenor Dimiter Uzunov, but he wields a powerful instrument and uses it for more than just blasting notes out. Hilde Güden is the plaintive, beautifully sung Micaëla and Aldo Protti an impressive-sounding but rather out-of-place Escamillo. The chorus, singing in German, does impressive work, and the Zuniga of Ludwig Welter is also worthy of note.
Track List
Act I
1. Prélude
2. Sur la place, chacun passe
3. Avec la garde montante
4. La cloche a sonné
5. Quand je vous aimerai... L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
6. Carmen! sur tes pas, nous nous pressons tous!
7. Parle-moi de ma mère!
8. Au secours! N'entendez-vous pas?
9. Près des remparts de Séville
10. Voici l'ordre; partez.
2. Sur la place, chacun passe
3. Avec la garde montante
4. La cloche a sonné
5. Quand je vous aimerai... L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
6. Carmen! sur tes pas, nous nous pressons tous!
7. Parle-moi de ma mère!
8. Au secours! N'entendez-vous pas?
9. Près des remparts de Séville
10. Voici l'ordre; partez.
Act II
11. Entr'acte
12. Les tringles des sistres tintaient
13. Messieurs, Pastia me dit
14. Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre
15. Nous avons en tête une affaire
16. Halte là! Qui va là?
17. Tralala...Attends un peu, Carmen
18. C'est mal à toi, Carmen
19. La fleur que tu m'avais
20. Non! tu ne m'aimes pas!
21. Bel officier, bel officier
12. Les tringles des sistres tintaient
13. Messieurs, Pastia me dit
14. Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre
15. Nous avons en tête une affaire
16. Halte là! Qui va là?
17. Tralala...Attends un peu, Carmen
18. C'est mal à toi, Carmen
19. La fleur que tu m'avais
20. Non! tu ne m'aimes pas!
21. Bel officier, bel officier
Act III
22. Entr'acte
23. Écoute, écoute, compagnon, écoute!
24. Mêlons! Coupons!
25. Quant au douanier, c'est notre affaire!
26. C'est des contrebandiers...Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante
27. Je ne me trompe pas
28. Halte! quelqu'un est là qui cherche à se cacher
23. Écoute, écoute, compagnon, écoute!
24. Mêlons! Coupons!
25. Quant au douanier, c'est notre affaire!
26. C'est des contrebandiers...Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante
27. Je ne me trompe pas
28. Halte! quelqu'un est là qui cherche à se cacher
Act IV
29. Entr'acte
30. Dance
31. Les voici! Voici la quadrille!
32. Si tu m'aimes, Carmen
33. C'est toi! - C'est moi!
30. Dance
31. Les voici! Voici la quadrille!
32. Si tu m'aimes, Carmen
33. C'est toi! - C'est moi!
Customer Reviews
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4.3
Based on 4 reviews
✓ Top Reviewer
United States
Karajan and Resnik are a Potent Combination!
This performance comes from a time just before the Vienna State Opera became internationalized. The chorus was still singing everything in German and the soloists sang (usually) in the original language. Resnik is an exciting presence as Carmen. When she steps on stage, someone has arrived and it makes sense that all the men are going crazy about her. She is in far better voice here than in Opera Depot's other performance with her (from 1967). Uzonov will probably be no one's favorite tenor: the vibrato is too noisy, the style sweaty and graceless - and yet he certainly does have his moments (the ringing interpolated top C at the end of Act Two one of them). Protti is a loud, boisterous Escamillo with amusing French, Gueden a lovely if occasionally unsteady Micaela. I love how Karajan gives Mercedes and Frasquita each a verse of the Gypsy Song that opens Act Two (Resnik gets the last verse). He also interpolated a ballet into Act Four, but many companies did that then (some still do).If you want to hear Resnik in her best voice in this role, get this. It's not a very French performance perhaps, but it's fun and exciting and transports one back to a time in opera history when that was OK.
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✓ Verified Buyer
Austria
✓ Verified Buyer
Austria
✓ Verified Buyer
France