Search - Georges Bizet, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Bizet: Carmen

A Carmen with a double cast

PhantomOfTheOpera | Norway | 10/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Accidently I hit the "5 star button" and now I'm unable to edit my error..... I really wish I could give this album 5 stars, but since someone decided to ruin this recording with the use of French actors for the spoken dialogues, I simply can't give more than 4 stars. After having watched Baltsa and Carreras in the Carmen dvd I was excited to find this recording, but listening to it was a devastating experience as I became really disappointed because of the French actors who did nothing else than annoy me. I find it extremely difficult believing that the voices in the spoken dialogues should be the same as that of the singers. The speaking Carmen sounds like a woman who has spent all her life in a "boudoir" doing little else than smoking and drinking which is a stark contrast to the singing Carmen whose voice is as clear as a bell!! And while Don José Carreras melts your heart with his sensual, lyrical voice, the speaking Don José sounds as charming as a wet dishcloth. So why did they decide to let someone else than the singers perform the spoken dialogues? It beats me. It certainly can't be because they thought the singers unable to utter a spoken word. If you watch and listen to the highly recommendable Carmen dvd with Baltsa and Carreras you'll see how well they pull off this task. I have to admit that when listening to this cd I skip the spoken dialogues wherever possible - which means I work my remote control an awful lot. Enough said of this; I just needed to get it out of my system.



The singers in this album are as perfect as you'll ever want them to be. Baltsa is the best Carmen ever in my opinion; both flirtatious and a firework. After hearing her seductive "Pres de ramparts de Seville" it's no wonder Don José is irresistibly drawn to her. Even I have the same reaction to her singing as Don José. For some unknown reason; while I'm listening to the phrase "Mon officier n'est pas un capitaine" I can't stop myself from taking a deep breath of "contentment" (you know, the way you would do if someone declared his undying love for you...) and this is something that never fails to happen whenever I listen to this aria. The strange thing though is that you'll hear Don José doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. The first time I heard this it was almost unbelievable. Listen to this aria and you'll probably understand what I'm talking about.



Ricciarelli's Michaela is the sweetest one I've ever heard. If I was Don José I would really be having a hard time deciding which one of the women to choose. (But of course, no man goes for "sweet" when he can get "steamy hot" instead...) The duets between Michaela and Don José are just as sweet and tender as the duets between Carmen and Don José are full of sensual tension.



The Don José in the voice of Carreras is from my point of view the most perfect one. He can sound like the naïve and shy young soldier falling madly in love for the first time and also like the madman Don José ends up as in the final act. And speaking of the final act; the last 10-15 minutes of this opera are worth the price of the opera alone. Don José alters between begging and threatening to get Carmen back while Carmen herself refuses everything he says or does. The tension escalates every minute and ends when Don José finally kills Carmen. And I'm getting goose-flesh all over when he's crying "Ma Carmen, adorée". His singing throughout the entire opera is outstanding. I love the duets with Ricciarelli and Baltsa in addition to the famous and wonderful rendition of "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée". This aria ends up like the most gentle and tender love song. Thank you, Carreras and Karajan for that moment!



The rest of the cast are really good as well; we have José van Dam doing a fine job as the toreador Escamillo and Frasquita and Mercédès are portrayed by Christine Barbaux and Jane Berbié. So although the French actors are horrible (with the exception of Michaela) the singers make it worthwhile."

Karajan's 2nd Carmen: His Best. Powerful!!!!

PhantomOfTheOpera | 03/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Agnes Baltsa [Carmen] ** José Carreras [Don José] ** José van Dam (baritone) [Escamillo] ** Katia Ricciarelli [Micaëla] ** Christine Barbaux (soprano) [Frasquita] ** Jane Berbié (soprano) [Mercédès] ** Alexander Malta (bass) [Zuniga] ** Mikael Melbye (baritone) [Moralès] ** Gino Quilico (baritone) [Le Dancaïr] ** Heinz Zednik (tenor) [Le Remendado] ** Michel Marinpouille (tenor) [Andrès] ** Berlin Philharmonic ** Herbert von Karajan (conductor]



There is no doubt in my mind that this studio recording is by far the most powerful Carmen I've ever heard. This 80's recording captures both the lush, beautiful musicality of this opera-comique and the intense visceral "verisimo" drama, thanks to the efforts of Karajan and his illustrious Berlin forces and the great singing from Agnes Baltsa, Jose Carreras, Katia Ricciarelli and Jose Van Dam.



Karajan had previously recorded Carmen in the 70's, in a more dramatic, overblown fashion when he conducted the Vienna Phil with the voices of Leontyne Price and Franco Corelli. Although that recording has its individual merit, it was not really his best effort. He had scored greater success with Grace Bumbry in the lead role and Jon Vickers as Don Jose, productions he conducted at the Salzburg Festival in the late 60's. In the 80's he was a white-haired old man, the image many younger music lovers remember him from after seeing videos and recording covers he was in fact experiencing the last phase of his career before his death in the late 80's. He is nevertheless a supremely gifted conductor, masterful and able to bring out the best from his orchestra. The Berlin is actually better than the Vienna Phil in his earlier recording with Leontyne Price. The Berlin forces weave great music, capturing the colorful slices of life in this steamy, sordid opera. Yes, it is of the "grand opera" and verisimo vein and not the more simplistic, opera-comique Carmen but it is absolutely powerful in its wake. Karajan has never done a better job. It is his second recorded Carmen and his best.



Each of the singers bring a vitality and nuance to their performance and sing with the freshness of their prime. It is not surprising to find Jose Carreras and Katia Ricciarelli in the same cast. Theses two worked well together and recorded and performed operas throughout the 80's, even carrying out an affair together. Ricciarelli and Carreras as Don Jose and Micaela sing with glorious harmony, making their romance all the more tragic because Don Jose rejects the purity of her love and destroys himself in his passionate relationship with the temptress Carmen. Their duet in the beginning feels prolonged but that's a great thing because their voices are so beautiful to hear together.



From the beginning, Jose Carreras sings with a darker voice. He understands that Don Jose becomes obscessed with Carmen and develops a psychosis. It is a rich, powerful and masculine voice, albeit darker and edgier than even Jon Vickers and Placido Domingo. He sings everyting with great passion, despite the fact that his voice may not have done what he may have wanted it to. He is somehow, strangely, through sheer force of will, the best Don Jose, the most dramatically satisfying. His detractors and critics claim he was in bad vocal shape, at least in regards to his age (he was past his prime, he had been operated for leukemia, etc) and worse, his Don Jose has been called "melodramatic, hysterical". I whole-heartedly disagree. Carreras sings with so much integrity to the character's essence that he single-handedly blows all other contenders away. I've heard them all- Franco Corelli (in the Leontyne Price recording) Placido Domingo (in the Berganza recording and the Obraztsova, and Migenes movies) and Jon Vickers (in the recording and film with Grace Bumbry). His tenor voice is right on target for the darker side of Don Jose. He is passionate, yet lyrical in the first part and by the climatic finale he is understandably pushed to the edge. There is definate chemistry between Carreras and Baltsa and they would also make a film of the Metropolitan Opera stage production, which is wonderful. Please give Carreras a chance. He is the best Don Jose I've ever heard.



Ricciarelli is a very nuanced, soulful Micaela, bringing passion and grandeur to the role, instead of singing the role like a shrinking violet. This Micaela is willing to fight to get her man back from Carmen. In this way, she is a lot like Mirella Freni, who also sang a feistier Micaela. Ricciarelli is in great vocal form, and her rendition of "Je Dis" is beautiful and heart-felt. Those who have criticized her for what they feel is forced singing didn't really listen to the recording. She is mannered, she is mellow and in control. She has a genuinely dramatic way of singing, but then again, I've already made the comparison to Mirella Freni, whose Micaela is also dramatic. Quite frankly, this is the way Micaela should be sung. She is still a soprano, usually the lead in an opera and Ricciarelli understands that if she doesn't impress in the few moments she has in the opera, then she is letting the mezzo-soprano take all the glory. Ricciarelli is wonderful here and Micaela is one of her greatest roles, despite the fact she moved on to sing heavier roles like Tosca, Leonora, Aida and Turandot. She is probably better in the subdued lyrical roles then the heavier roles.



Jose Van Dam's Escamillo is dark, "butch" and strongly sung. He has a sharp musical intelligence and recognizes that Escamillo is also not the star but has his moments of radiance. He sings the famous Toreador Aria with great gusto and power. Karajan's slow conducting and colorful orchestration allows his few moments in the opera to really burst with maximum energy. Upon hearing Jose Van Dam's Escamillo, one can understand why Carmen jilts the now lackluster Don Jose. Van Dam is absolutely superb.



Last but certainly not least, there is Agnes Baltsa's Carmen. She was born to sing this role. It is a Carmen of several levels- she is playful (listen to how she slides her voice in the Habanera and Seguidilla) she is feminine but wordly. If she sounds mature and not youthful this is still to her credit. Carmen is a wordly, experienced libertine. Baltsa lives the character in ever scene. She sings with great power and beauty. The Death Card Aria has a tragic quality to it and she sings with a resigned spirit, acknowledging her fate. More than any other mezzo-soprano who has sung Carmen on record, to my knowledge, she really acts the hell out of that final scene. She is singing with grand flair, dramatic to the point she is boiling over with rage. Listen to how she emotes when she declares "Libre Elle Nee e Libre elle Morra" (I was born free and I shall die free!) and "E Bien! Frappe-Moi Donc, Or Lassez Ma Passe! (Very Well Then! Kill Me! Or Let Me Pass!). Finally, she nearly cracks her voice with the high, anguished cry of "C'este Autefrois Que Tu Me Vais Donne - TIENS!!!" (This ring you once gave me - TAKE IT!!!). Both Carreras and Baltsa take the trophy when it comes to dramatically belting out this famous scene in opera.





Once upon a time I thought that Jon Vickers and Grace Bumbry were the greatest Carmen/Don Jose interpretors. I don't believe that anymore after hearing Jose Carreras and Agnes Baltsa."