Georges Bizet

GAËLLE ARQUEZ • DANIEL JOHANSSON SCOTT HENDRICKS • ELENA TSALLAGOVA

WIENER SYMPHONIKER CONDUCTED BY PAOLO CARIGNANI

STAGED BY KASPER HOLTEN SET DESIGN BY ES DEVLIN GEORGES BIZET

Orchestra Wiener Symphoniker Conductor Paolo Carignani One of the most popular and beloved operas of the world, Georges Choruses Prague Philharmonic Choir Bizet’s Carmen, sees a new staging at the Bregenz Festival, with its Bregenz Festival Choir breathtaking backdrop of Lake Constance and a spectacular set design Children’s Choir of the by British artist Es Devlin. The title role of Carmen is performed by Musikmittelschule Bregenz-Stadt rising star mezzo-soprano Gaëlle Arquez, alongside Swedish tenor Chorus Masters Lukáš Vasilek Daniel Johansson as strongly passionate Don José. Benjamin Lack Acting with unrestrained intensity and displaying a stunning array Wolfgang Schwendinger of vocal colours, Gaëlle Arquez is at the centre of attention. She Michael Schwendinger embodies Carmen “in a finely nuanced and completely natural way, Stage Director Kasper Holten as if she had just invented Habanera & Co.” (Tagesspiegel). The Wiener Symphoniker play Bizet’s powerful score with elegance and technical Carmen Gaëlle Arquez virtuosity, under the “sensitive and energetic musical direction” (The Telegraph) by Paolo Carignani. Don José Daniel Johansson Escamillo Scott Hendricks This new production on the Bregenz lake-stage has been staged by Micaëla Elena Tsallagova Kasper Holten, who has been attracting great attention for his work at major theatres around the world, in particular for his “Copenhagen Le Remendado Simeon Esper Ring” and his stagings as Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House Le Dancaïre Dariusz Perczak in Covent Garden. Set Designer Es Devlin, who already designed sets Frasquita Jana Baumeister for pop stars like Adele, U2, Take That, the Pet Shop Boys and Kanye Mercédès Marion Lebègue West, has created a set construction with an impressive height of 21 Moralès Rafael Fingerlos metres. The playing cards, which seem to hover between two massive Zuniga Sébastien Soulès hands, are not only part of the scene but also serve as projection Lillas Pastia Stefan Wallraven surfaces. Carmen as a Child Efsa Topal The Telegraph is full of praise: “The lake-stage in Bregenz is a venue for theatrical spectaculars, Video Director Felix Breisach and Kasper Holten’s production of Carmen on Es Devlin’s extraordinary set was a knockout! […] If opera is theatre, and it certainly should Length: 124' be, then this big-audience production serves Shot in HDTV 1080/50i it brilliantly.” Cat. no. A 040 50072

A co-production of ORF, SRF, tpc, UNITEL, ZDF and 3sat in cooperation with Bregenz Festival

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