TEHRAN – Art Palace in Tehran is hosting an adaptation of “Carmen,” an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet.

According to the public relations manager and media consultant of the play Sara Haddadi, the opera is translated and directed by Neda Shahrokhi. Yassaman Khajehi serves as the dramaturge and the libretto is rewritten by Shaghayegh Parvin. The vocal coaching is provided by Hasmik Karapetyan and Parham Dameshghi is the leader of the vocal group, with Behrokh Alighourchi playing the piano.

More than 100 actors and singers perform in the opera including Saeed Changizian, Hasmik Karapetyan, Mehdi Davaneghi, Farnaz Zohri, Arian Hajir, Ghazal Homayouni, Delsa Karimzadeh, Sadaf Mohseni, Rayeheh Pasha, Noura Mahmoudi, Hanita Delfani, Mahsa Solouksaran, Hajir Mehravaran, Mohammad Sajjad Taheri, Arta Asrar, Matin Mohammadhosseini, Omid Jabbari, Darya Razavi, Sarvin Emami, Elina Nasseri, Sarina Hosseini, Sarina Masoudvaziri, Maryam Dashtabadi, and Anahita Talebi among others.

The opera was first performed in Paris in 1875. It has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon.

The opera is written in the genre of opéra comique with musical numbers separated by dialogue. It is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous torero Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. 

The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness broke new ground in French opera. “Carmen” initially gained its reputation through a series of productions outside France, and was not revived in Paris until 1883. Thereafter, it rapidly acquired popularity at home and abroad. Later commentators have asserted that “Carmen” forms the bridge between the tradition of opéra comique and the realism or verismo that characterized late 19th-century Italian opera.

The music of “Carmen” has since been widely acclaimed for brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere, and orchestration, and for the skill with which the emotions and suffering of the characters are represented. 

The opera has been recorded many times since the first acoustical recording in 1908, and the story has been the subject of many screen and stage adaptations.

Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work “Carmen,” which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertoire.

The opera will remain on stage until March 1 at the Art Palace, located at No. 50, Zand-e-Vakil Alley, Razi St., Nofel Loshato St., Hafez Ave.

SS/SAB