Carmen - Opera By G. Bizet

"Carmen" tells the story of the passionate love between Carmen, an extraordinarily seductive, freedom-loving woman, and the Spanish soldier Don José. The plot is set in sunny Seville and is characterized by passion, jealousy and tragic love. Carmen casts her spell over Don José, but their love leads to a tragic course and fate.This world-famous work of opera literature combines gripping music, Spanish rhythms and a moving story to create an unforgettable experience. The highs and lows of human emotions come together as the characters come to life before the audience's eyes. "Carmen" is a timeless opera that touches the heart and inspires the senses.The four acts of the opera take place at the gates of the tobacco factory, at an inn, in the Andalusian mountains and in front of the bullring in Seville. At its premiere in Paris in 1875, the piece failed because the audience was simply overwhelmed by the drastic depiction of the milieu. Soon afterwards, however, "Carmen" became a huge success that continues to this day, although the composer, who died in 1875, did not live to see it.The passionate story, the fascinating characters and the unforgettable music have captivated generations of opera lovers. As usual, the tried-and-tested Selzach Summer Opera team will stage the opera in an audience-friendly setting and production. CARMEN - opera by Georges Bizet. Sung in French, with German surtitles.Box office: The box office opens one hour before the start of each performance.Gastronomy: In the beautifully designed outdoor area and marquee in front of the Passion Playhouse, you can get in the mood for the opera with Spanish specialties one hour before the performance begins. During the interval or after the performance, you can indulge yourself with small dishes and the exquisite celebratory wine from Spain. Information on the current offer can be found at sommeroper.ch.Small groups can reserve a table on site to enjoy the time before the performance and during the interval. For larger groups, we recommend the individual aperitif options in exclusive rooms with a terrace at Hugi Weine at Kirchgasse 5 in Selzach in the immediate vicinity. Selzach is located in the canton of Solothurn between Solothurn and Grenchen and is easily accessible by train. The Passion Playhouse is a 5-minute walk from the train station. For visitors with private cars, parking spaces are available in the industrial area of Selzach. Observe the signalization at the entrance to the village on Solothurnstrasse. Please follow the instructions of the traffic services. A free shuttle bus runs between the parking lots and the Passion Play House.The Summer Opera Orchestra will be conducted by the renowned Bernese conductor Kaspar Zehnder, who first conducted CARMEN at the Murten Classics Festival in 2010. Kaspar Zehnder was chief conductor of the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra for ten years until 2022.As always, the set and costumes will be designed by Oskar Fluri, who has made a name for himself far beyond the region with his independent work.This time, the production will be directed by the internationally renowned Swiss opera singer Maria Riccarda Wesseling, who trained in Solothurn and has sung the role of Carmen herself on many stages, including the Stadttheater Bern. This is the first time that a woman has taken the reins as director at the summer opera.Participating artists:Musical direction: Kaspar ZehnderProduction: Maria Riccarda WesselingSet design: Oskar FluriChoir rehearsal: Valentin VassilevArtistic management: Thomas DietrichProduction management: René Gehri, Pia BürkiCast (names according to libretto)Carmen, Gypsy: Deborah SafferyDon José, Sergeant: James KryshakEscamillo, Torero: Marcel BrunnerMichaëla, peasant girl: Marion GrangeFrasquita, gypsy: Stefanie FreiMercédès, gypsy: Astrid PfarrerZuniga, lieutenant: Jasper LeeverMoralès, Sergeant: Iyad DwayerDancaïro, smuggler: Wolfgang ReschRemendado, Smuggler: Konstantin NazlamovFlamenco dancer: LaDina BucherOrchestra, choir, children's choir and extras of the Selzach Summer Opera.A cooperation with the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn TOBS.Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.