Bizet's Femme Fatale - Back In Business (& Yorkshire!)

That most fatale of femmes, Carmen, is back in the county this month, affording another opportunity for opera buffs to get to grips with the passion, drama and destruction of one of Bizet's most popular characters.

This time it is the Russian State Opera, on tour with an impressive 30-piece orchestra, which is dusting off the impressive score, first performed in 1875 and now considered a classic in the opera repertoire.

It tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by Carmen, free-spirited femme fatale. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo.

Set in 19th Century Seville, this production has been made possible by producer Alexej Ignatow, of Amande Concerts.

He said:
"We are constantly on the lookout for new challenges, to ensure that our opera and ballet audiences get a chance to experience a wide spectrum of various classic pieces.

"With extensive national tours that get our productions seen the length and breadth of the country, we are able to offer national audiences in various theatres an unforgettable experience at a fraction of the price, all without sacrificing quality. So, it is very close to my heart to continue working with theatres all over the UK to deliver top quality productions every year and make new concerts wherever we go."

You can feel the thrill and passion of love, jealousy and violence of 19th Century Spain, in this most popular of Bizet's work, at three further Yorkshire venues including:

Thursday 22 September 2016
Halifax, Victoria Theatre
01422 351 158

Wednesday 28 September 2016
York, Barbican Theatre
0844 854 2757

Thursday 29 September 2016
Scarborough, The Spa
01723 821 888

Sung in French with English sub titles, it promises to be a mix of fierce passion, gorgeous melodies and nail-biting dramatic confrontations.

The music of Carmen has been widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet represented, musically, the emotions and suffering of his characters. The Toreador Song is among the best known of all operatic arias.