French artist performs opera Carmen at Ho Guom Theater

According to information from the Ho Guom Theater, the play Carmen will be staged by the Royal Theatre of Versailles, the French Romantic Music Center Palazzetto Bru Zane, and the Rouen Normandie Theater. This is also the first time in Vietnam that audiences will enjoy the opera Carmen as it is in its original form. The program is expected to last 180 minutes. With meticulous investment in costumes and setting, the play promises to bring the most interesting and complete experience to Vietnamese audiences about Western classical culture and art of the 19th century.

According to the Organizing Committee, nearly 10 days ago, 3 40-foot containers, with nearly 70 tons of equipment, were brought from France to Ho Guom Theater by production units and deployed to install technology to serve the opera Carmen. 120 artists, technicians, producers... of the Carmen staging units have arrived in Vietnam, preparing for two official performance nights.

The French artists' Carmen is expected to recreate the original space and spirit of the 1875 premiere of Carmen in Paris.

Carmen was composed by Georges Bizet based on the novel of the same name by Prosper Mérimée, published in 1845. The work premiered at the Opéra-Comique, Paris in 1875. Set in Seville, Spain, the opera revolves around the passionate but tragic love affair between Carmen – a charming, free-spirited gypsy girl – and the soldier Don José, who is so enchanted by love that he loses everything.

Although Carmen is one of the world's greatest operatic masterpieces, at the time of its premiere, the work was met with fierce opposition because of its bold content and the main character being too liberal compared to the moral standards of the time. However, after Georges Bizet's death, the opera was gradually recognized as a masterpiece and became one of the most performed works in the world. With its music that delicately combines Spanish elements and French romantic styles, and the emotional development of each character full of vitality, Carmen not only shaped the realist style in opera but also became a timeless cultural icon.

French artists in Carmen.

It is known that the play Carmen at Ho Guom Theater is the opening program of a series of special art programs that the Ministry of Public Security directed the Department of Political Affairs to assign Ho Guom Theater to organize. This is a series of programs aiming to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day, the 80th anniversary of the People's Public Security Day, the 20th anniversary of the National Day for National Security Protection, and the 135th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh. It is expected that after Carmen, at Ho Guom Theater there will be the following programs: "The Party in the Spring of Great Victory" (April 28); the concert "Victory Song" (May 2); the concert "Ho Chi Minh, the most beautiful name" (May 17).

Source: https://cand.com.vn/van-hoa/nghe-si-phap-bieu-dien-vo-opera-carmen-tai-nha-hat-ho-guom-i765966/