By Elyssa A. Goldstein
Last weekend the Hofstra Opera Theater presented the world renowned French opera “Carmen” to a packed audience at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse. “Carmen,” directed by Patricia Heuermann and conducted by Dr. David Ramael, was the University’s sole opera performance this year.
Written by Georges Bizet, the story takes place in Seville, Spain around 1830 and centers on the beautiful but fiery gypsy, Carmen (played by Kristen Brown), and her many loves. She initially woos the corporal Don Jose (portrayed by Anthony Tolve), leading him to abandon his unit and join a band of smugglers, of which Carmen is a member. Plagued with jealously, Don Jose finally snaps when Carmen denounces their love, and turns to the bullfighter, Escamillo (performed by Tyler Richardson).
Brown’s depiction of Carmen is masterful. Her rich voice and sultry manner compliment the libretto well making her performance seem effortless.
Tolve is an amazing presence on stage, with his stellar tenor voice dominating the performance over ineffective microphones. It was difficult to hear specific intricacies of some performances, especially when the actors sang in their lower registers.
Another notable feature of Tolve’s performance was his flawless pronunciation of the French text. While the cast as a whole spoke the language quite well, Tolve seemed like a native letting the words roll off his tongue in both song and conversation.
Tolve and Brown had great on-stage chemistry, but the true highlight was watching Tolve’s Don Jose interact with Kathryn Wieckhorst’s Micaela.
During their initial duet, Wieckhorst and Tolve harmonize beautifully, blushing with the excitement of young lovers. Wieckhorst was born for the opera with a doe-eyed innocence and a voice that could sell out some of the world’s largest opera houses.
Carmen once again proved the remarkable talents of the University’s music department. This beloved opera has truly found a new audience, as many first-time opera-goers will no doubt be raving about this performance for weeks to come.