Welsh National Opera

Carmen

Bizet

Thu 25 & Sat 27 March 2010

Thu & Sat 7.15pm

Cast includes Patricia Bardon as Carmen, Gwyn Hughes Jones as Don José, David Soar as Escamillo, Sarah-Jane Davies as Micaëla, Henry Waddington as Zuniga, Joanne Boag as Frasquita and Carolyn Dobbin as Mercedes.

Don José's life was quiet, respectable and law abiding. From the moment he met Carmen his life has unravelled.

He is intoxicated by her, blinded by jealousy, pursuing her across Spain and on the run. His jealousy will destroy him and if the cards are telling the truth, it will destroy Carmen too.

Bizet's most famous creation is full to the brim with instantly recognizable music and paints a mesmerizing picture of a Spain teeming with fascinating characters. Carmen herself is one of the most charismatic and hard to resist characters in opera. For a century and a half audiences the world over have fallen in love with her. Patricia Bardon returns to this production as Carmen with Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones reprising the role of Don José.

Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser’s production distills Bizet's masterpiece right down down to its essence.

Co-production with Scottish Opera.

Sung in French with English surtitles.

Explore Opera

Saturday 27th March, 2.30pm - 4.00pm.

In each season one of WNO's operas is chosen to be the subject of a free two-hour workshop, exploring the roots of the opera and involving singers from the company, who give an exclusive performance of some of the highlights of the score. This is a great opportunity to experience first-hand the creation of the opera from the page to the stage.

Explore Opera is suitable for all ages – including families – and for those who are completely new to opera as well as seasoned regulars.

"This Carmen is the most bold, the most lucid and the most gripping of the thirty or so productions I have seen"

- The Sunday Times