74. Carmen at Catherine Palace
A Saturday afternoon in late July (22.07) marked the final performance of the 2017 All Together Opera festival - “Carmen” by Georges Bizet. And it would be difficult to imagine a more spectacular setting: the parade ground in front of Catherine Palace in Tsarkoye Selo, one of St. Petersburg's suburbs. I had been wanting to visit Catherine Palace, so the opera was the inducement I needed to put it on the schedule. After touring the palace and some of the nearby gardens, I made my way over to the parade ground for the start of the production.
This was my second opera in a week (the first was Rigoletto the previous weekend). This time, I decided to not waste effort trying to follow the plot, which I've concluded (at least based on how I want to enjoy opera) is besides the point. So I just focused on the music and singing. That's not to say that I didn't watch the action, I just didn't expend any thought to how events were connected or characters developed. I likely would have been lost, even though I read a plot summary beforehand.
Carmen is one of the most well-known operas in the repertoire, and if you've ever actively explored the world of classical music, then you've likely heard several of its arias: the "Toreador" song, and one of my favorites, the exquisite "Habanera". And I guarantee that everyone is familiar with the Overture.
Although it rained heavily earlier in the day (while I was standing in line on the other side of the palace), the weather held throughout the performance. It was overcast with a slight chill in the air, but still decent weather for enjoying opera al fresco.
This was my second opera in a week (the first was Rigoletto the previous weekend). This time, I decided to not waste effort trying to follow the plot, which I've concluded (at least based on how I want to enjoy opera) is besides the point. So I just focused on the music and singing. That's not to say that I didn't watch the action, I just didn't expend any thought to how events were connected or characters developed. I likely would have been lost, even though I read a plot summary beforehand.
Carmen is one of the most well-known operas in the repertoire, and if you've ever actively explored the world of classical music, then you've likely heard several of its arias: the "Toreador" song, and one of my favorites, the exquisite "Habanera". And I guarantee that everyone is familiar with the Overture.
Although it rained heavily earlier in the day (while I was standing in line on the other side of the palace), the weather held throughout the performance. It was overcast with a slight chill in the air, but still decent weather for enjoying opera al fresco.
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