After nearly 30 years break "Carmen" is back on the Bolshoi stage
in a new and modern interpretation by British director David Poutney.

 (CEEF) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (RECENT) REUTERS -

Closing its 232nd season, Russia's Bolshoi theatre has surprised the
public with the new and avant-garde production of Georges Bizet's opera
"Carmen".
    Today it is one of the world's most popular operas. But its first
premiere at the Opera Comique of Paris in March 1875 was considered a failure
and denounced by critics as "immoral", mainly due to the fact that
the leading character, Carmen, was a Gypsy with a fiery temper, free in her
love and life.
    Bizet did not live to see the success of his opera. A day before his
death he signed a contract with the Vienna Imperial opera for the production
of "Carmen", which turned out to be a triumph.
    Over the following years, it became a staple of the standard operatic
repertoire.
    This season sees the Bolshoi's 8th production of "Carmen".
The first took place in 1898 and the last in 1981.
    All of them were classical productions, based on the second, edited
version of the opera, made by Bizet's friend Ernest Guiraud, who replaced
dialogues with recitatives.
    This time the Bolshoi has decided to bring the original version back to
stage, in a modern and, as some critics have called it,
"avant-garde" production. They invited renowned British theatre
director David Pountney to take on the challenge.
     "I think one of the interesting things for us in our time is that
"Carmen" is also about freedom, Carmen is a person who demands
freedom, she lives for freedom and ultimately society cannot tolerate this
freedom, this is why figures like  Carmen always have to be killed at the end
of their stories, because absolute freedom is something that doesn't really
exist or cannot be allowed to exist," said David Pountney during
"Carmen" rehearsal with the Bolshoi troupe.
     For the role of Carmen, the Bolshoi invited famous Bulgarian
mezzo-soprano Nadya Krasteva, who sung Carmen on many stages, including the
Vienna opera.
    "It is not a very easy character to sing, but it is very pleasant
and very interesting to sing Carmen, because everyone knows what kind of
person Carmen was, that she was a very strong woman, so to find an
interpretation for Carmen's character is difficult. And the role is very very
long, it involves a lot of singing, but it has always been such a pleasure to
sing it," said Krasteva after rehearsing one of the most popular pieces
from the opera - Habanera.
      American tenor Gerard Powers has his own understanding of the role of
corporal Jose, an inexperienced soldier whose love for Carmen leads to his
rejection of his family and former love, mutiny against his superior. He turns
to a criminal life and ultimately, out of jealousy, murders Carmen.
     "I play Jose pretty sincerely and I think that, you know, he is a
very intelligent man, who just made some very bad decisions, but I also think
that he has got a few, as we say in English, a few screws loose, he doesn't
have it all together, he is a bit of a psychopath, very very jealous
nature," said  Powers after rehearsing with Krasteva.
     The production premiered on April 22nd, and will run until the end of
August.
      It was received with mixed feelings by Moscow critics and the public.
Some liked the new colourful and lively staging, others preferred the old,
classical version. But all were happy that one of operas most popular stories
and fiery heroines is back on the Bolshoi's stage.