Georges Bizet’s Carmen is a bright star in the operatic repertory, and its creation story adds a poignant layer to its brilliance. Bizet composed the work in part hoping it would bring financial relief to his family, yet at its 1875 premiere, audiences were horrified by its unflinching realism — a smoking, defiant heroine of the working class, far removed from the noble figures audiences expected on the Opéra-Comique stage. Bizet died just three months after opening night at only 36, never knowing the work would become arguably the world’s most performed opera.
I attended the May 15 Cafritz Young Artists Performance — one of two special evenings in which singers from WNO’s prestigious young artist training program stepped into the principal roles.
The Kennedy Center Opera House itself was a delight to behold — all the more so as the venue was celebrating its 50th Anniversary season. The Lobmeyr crystal chandeliers — a gift from Austria — cast the hall in a warm, jewel-like glow. Opera lovers may recognize the Lobmeyr name from the Metropolitan Opera, whose iconic chandeliers dramatically ascend to the ceiling as the lights dim. The Kennedy Center’s are more classical and restrained, but carry their own quiet grandeur — an elegant reminder of the transatlantic cultural ties that make institutions like the Kennedy Center what they are.