Carmen returns to HCM City this week

HCM City (VNA) - The full original version of Carmen will be staged by performers from Vietnam, France, Thailand and the Republic of Korea for two nights in HCM City next week.

The show is part of a cultural exchange project launched by the French Institute in HCM City, in cooperation with the International Choir and Orchestra of HCM City and Lys Event Company.

Carmen is a four-act opera written by French composer Georges Bizet. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1875, and has since become one of the most popular operas in the classical canon.

Its Habanera from act 1 and Toreador Song from act 2 are among the best-known of all operatic arias. The extracts have been staged by the HCM City Ballet and Opera Symphony Orchestra several times.

The opera depicts the tragedy of Carmen, a fiery gypsy, who falls in love with Don José.

Vietnamese soloist Thanh Huyen of HCM City Music Conservatory will play Carmen while French tenor Patrick Garayt of the French National Orchestra will play Don José.

The orchestra will be led by Carlos Dourthé, music director of the L’Orchestre et Coeur des Universités de Paris.

The opera’s art director is conductor Brian Reidlinger of the orchestra.

The opera will be staged on Friday and Saturday (July 1and 2) at 8pm at the city’s Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.-VNA