Los Angeles Opera’s ‘Carmen’

Los Angeles Opera’s holiday-season go at Bizet’s ever-popular tune fest “Carmen” underwent changes in three of the four leading roles Saturday night -- all company debuts.

FOR THE RECORD:
‘Carmen’ tenor: A review in Monday’s Calendar section of the Los Angeles Opera’s “Carmen” reported that tenor Diego Torre was making his company debut Saturday after appearing in a student matinee of the production. Torre’s company debut took place Dec. 2. —

As Carmen, mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera -- who hails from the exotic locale of the Canary Islands -- capably made the conventional transition from sultry vamping to fatalistic dignity, giving us just glimpses of Carmen’s allure and fascination. She did it more with her warm, penetrating voice than her acting -- languorously and willfully playing with the phrasing in the Habanera, Seguidilla and especially the Gypsy Dance. She also briefly punctured Carmen’s self-assurance with a look of real terror when Don José’s violence boiled over a bit near the end of Act III.

Germán Villar was supposed to assume the role of Don José but had to cancel -- and the young Mexico-City-born tenor Diego Torre stepped in, singing in an L.A. Opera student matinee performance of “Carmen” before taking it on Saturday. He did what he could in an ill-fitting soldier’s uniform in Acts I and II that made him look stiff -- which is not entirely out of Don José’s character at this point -- while seeming more comfortable in other outfits later. He displayed a distinctive, grainy tenor, suggesting more of a pathetic Don José than a passionate one in the Flower Song.

The most impressive of the newcomers -- indeed, the entire cast -- was Slovenian soprano Sabina Cvilak. This was the cute, blond, wholesome Micaëla of what should have been Don José’s dreams -- and Cvilak struck a perfect balance between fear and inner strength in Act III, singing with beautiful tone and lots of dynamic variety and subtlety.

Overall, this was a routine “Carmen” -- with conductor Emmanuel Villaume beating a hasty path through most of the score, low-voltage stage direction from Javier Ulacia, and character chemistry that didn’t quite ignite. Still, since this amazing score contains more great hit tunes per square foot than any other opera in the repertoire (with the possible exception of “Porgy and Bess”), even workaday “Carmens” can be worthwhile.

Ginell is a freelancer writer.

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