As Cincinnati Opera’s artistic director Evans Mirageas welcomed the opening night audience for the opera's summer performance series in Blue Ash's Summit Park, metallic gray clouds hovered overhead. Though rain was predicted all day, the skies cleared as the orchestra launched into the prelude to Carmen. The weather gods obviously love opera.
The Cincinnati Opera's summer performance series includes three classics — Carmen, Tosca and The Barber of Seville — presented in roughly 90-minute productions at Summit Park, featuring accompaniment by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and a 36-member chorus. All performances are adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state guidelines: Seating is in pods of four to six people, masks are recommended for unvaccinated guests and children under 12, and entrance and egress will be controlled.
Carmen kicked off the season on July 17 (with remaining shows July 22, 26 and 30).
Carmen is the free-spirited and fiery Romani woman who juggles lovers, working in a cigarette factory and smuggling with relative ease until she meets a lowly army officer Don José whose obsessive jealousy destroys them both. Her story inspired one of opera’s most famous and familiar scores, full of atmosphere, tension and brilliance.
Running at about an hour and 50 minutes, Carmen’s crowd scenes and expository recitatives are cut — although the chorus sings unseen from the sides of the stage.
What remains are the best-known arias and ensembles that take us from meeting the characters to their final, fatal encounter.
But don’t take this for a basic “Best Of” performance.
This production features star turns from the performers, each of them singing with a passion and commitment that projects out to the parking lot. And that goes for the orchestra and chorus, too.
It’s not just that I haven’t heard live opera in nearly 18 months: Everyone is at the top of their game.
J’Nai Bridges is a fearless Carmen, tough and self-aware. Her dark-hued mezzo ranges from the easy sensuality of “Habeñera” to fierce acknowledgment in the "Card Trio" and the final encounter with Don José. In a flowing white jumpsuit, her movements are graceful and enticing.
The role of José’s village sweetheart Micaëla nearly always steals the show and soprano Janai Brugger shows you why, with a sensitive, expressive voice conveying innocence and fortitude.
Baritone Christian Pursell is another near scene-stealer. Bursting onto the stage in a salmon-colored suit and white fedora, he sings the bullfighter Escamillo’s aria with arrogant swagger and a clear, clarion tone.
Stephen Costello’s Don José is proof positive that sometimes a fabulous voice can project a complex character without fancy stagecraft. His lyric tenor has matured into a powerful instrument with impressive dynamic range. He sings José’s aria — known as the "Flower Song" — with the unabashed honesty of a love-smitten man. From there, Costello projects José’s descent to obsessive madman and he does it brilliantly.
Raven McMillon and Melody Wilson are Carmen’s high-spirited friends, joined by Thomas Dreeze and Victor Ryan Robertson. Even unseen, the opera chorus is terrific.
The sound is excellent. Jonathan Burke’s sound design is so good you might not suspect the singers and orchestra are amplified. It’s especially effective for the 36-member CSO (both the chorus and CSO have 36 members, per Mirageas) who gave a spirited and wonderfully nuanced performance led by Ramón Tebar.
If you’re a score nerd like me, it’s pure pleasure hearing the composer Bizet’s genius for melody and orchestration, especially in the obsessive motifs for brass and winds that propel the final act. These lines aren’t obtrusive at all — they’re simply more audible and enhance the listening experience.
After the performance, I saw CSO cellist Norman Johns, who was visibly elated, telling me that he and his colleagues were so excited to be playing for a live audience, and that delight is heard all evening.
Omer Ben Seadia’s staging is minimal, but she uses four members of the Cincinnati Ballet choreographed by Eboni Adams to fill in for crowds and occasionally interacting with the singers.
This outdoor season isn’t 'Grand Opera' but Cincinnati Opera knows what the really big deal is. Allow yourself to be swept up by this fabulous score and especially by these outstanding singers. That’s all the grandeur you need.
Carmen continues July 22, 26 and 30 at Summit Park, Blue Ash. Tickets and more info are available at cincinnatiopera.com.
Next up is Tosca (July 23, 27 and 31). The antic Barber of Seville (July 24 and 29) rounds out the season.
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*A previous version of this story said masks were required. They are not. Also, Carmen runs longer than 90 minutes at about an hour and 50 minutes.
