Bizet

Carmen

Berganza, Domingo, Mitchell, Krause; Abbado
Edinburgh, 1977

Regular price $17.95
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Carmen

Teresa Berganza offers a refreshingly nuanced portrayal of Carmen, eschewing the usual vocal heft in favor of a more introspective sensuality that adds layers to the character. Plácido Domingo is magnetic as José, delivering a final scene that radiates barely contained desperation. Leona Mitchell's Micaëla brings sincerity and warmth, while Tom Krause lends Escamillo a suave charm without slipping into caricature. With Claudio Abbado at the helm, Bizet's orchestration breathes with elegance and subtle drama.

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Giuseppe N.✓ Verified Buyer

Italy

Overall rating
Pienamente soddisfatto di tutto!!! Grazie!!!
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David R.✓ Top Reviewer

United States

Overall rating

Great Carmen in Excellent Sound!

Berganza and Domingo recorded their portrayals of the two leads in this opera for DG a year or so after these performances. Milnes and Cotrubas replaced Mitchell and Krause for commercial reasons. The studio recording is still recommended and rightly so, but it has nothing of the theatricality and passion of this live performance. Berganza and Domingo are white-hot here. In front of an audience Berganza is that much more seductive and far more fearless than she is in the studio. She lets out a wicked laugh just before she is stabbed, a touch not allowed in the studio version. Domingo is in sterling voice and reveals how much he has grown in the role since first taking it on. The final scene is especially electric, no doubt because he was actually on stage with Berganza (he dubbed his part in for the DG recording and it sounds like it).Mitchell and Krause are both more memorable than their studio counterparts. The supporting cast includes a future Carmen, Alicia Nafe, as Mercedes and the excellent Nan Christie on Frasquita's top line. Abbado conducts a far more alive performance in the theater than he did in the studio. The dialogue is spoken very well by the cast. The sound is great though there are some minor glitches in the Jose/Micaela duet (nothing horrible) and the first 30 seconds or so of the third act ensemble after the card trio are missing. Get this Carmen to understand why live performances are almost always better than studio performances!
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