Maryland Community Newspapers Online
"Carmen" is in the house. And thanks to the Bel Cantanti Opera, the gypsy woman is still crimson and kind of cool. Sure, she loves 'em and leaves 'em, and has a penchant for slicing and dicing any broad who gets in her way. But when she starts singing, all is forgotten — or at least forgiven.
The small but mighty opera company will perform "Carmen" this weekend at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington in Rockville.
She considered Peter Brook's abridged version, but didn't want to eliminate the chorus, which would reduce "Carmen" to a mere four characters. Deciding to create her own adaptation was the only way to go for this Belarus native who now lives in Germantown. For passionate opera lovers, Souvorova notes that most of "Carmen's" choruses remain and the opera still weighs in at a hefty 145 minutes. That's OK since time seems to rush by watching the lusty lady and her lover Don José's soap opera romance.
In this version, the opera is sung in French with English supertitles; the dialogue is in English. And while Bel Cantanti works on the barest of budgets, the opera is a fully staged costumed production with a 13-piece orchestra.
Why? "Because it was ‘Carmen.' I had to come," explains the South Korean native, who holds a doctorate in musical arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
After sitting through too many auditions, Souvorova remembers the moment Park entered the room.
Souvorova was equally impressed with spinto tenor Hansu Kim (Don José).
"The part is so vocally demanding, I had to find someone who could handle it. During auditions, many singers' voices broke at the most demanding parts," she recalls.
But Kim was different. He had a "self-centered and contained presence about him, which was an important component to the character. He is also extremely musical," Souvorova says. "He sings with such emotion [that] when you close your eyes, you feel all the happiness and the pain. And it's not just his voice, which is gorgeous, but he offers such an emotional connection that when he and Park sing to each other, it is like [they are] making love."
Kim grew up in Seoul, South Korea, and studied at the University of Indiana before moving to New Jersey. He had already sung the part of José a number of times, but wanted to work with Bel Cantanti because it is "part of Washington, D.C." In addition to this production, the singer will make his Kennedy Center debut next month when he performs at the Cherry Blossom Festival.
While Kim's powerful voice made Don José a perfect fit, Park worried that the character of Carmen was against her "nature. Growing up in South Korea, we are taught to be obedient and to serve," she says with a sly laugh.
Once she became immersed in the character, however, she recalls feeling "Carmen's freedom and sense of liberty. It was kind of nice being feisty, strong and beautiful."
Souvorova has some very practical reasons for choosing "Carmen." "With opera companies closing all the time," she wanted to do "Carmen" because it is "familiar and people love it."
Even individuals who have never been to an opera will be familiar with "Habanera" and "Escamillo," often used in movies and even commercials.
And while Carmen's story may seem tame by 21st century standards, "Carmen" was scandalous when it premiered at a family-friendly theater in Paris in 1875. Opera-goers were accustomed to hearing the stories of mythical figures or royalty, "not real people, including smugglers, prostitutes and the poor," Souvorova points out.
While Bizet never saw his opera became a hit — he died just before it was performed in Austria to critical acclaim — "Carmen" and other operas created during the period changed the medium forever, bringing forth the cult of realism.
Exactly why Souvorova decided to create her own opera company has its roots in her native country. She was accustomed to working for a state-funded opera company that performed year-round. Upon coming to the U.S. in 1996, she was stunned by how individual opera companies struggle to stay afloat.
It was a call to action for Souvorova, who started Bel Cantanti Opera in 2003. Working as a vocal coach, she watched as so many opera singers were graduating from "world-class programs at The Catholic University and the University of Maryland and were now waiting tables."
She soon became familiar with every vocalist in the region and often has the pick of opera singers. With so many operatic companies closing, the competition has become fierce.
"Singers from as far away as San Francisco and Michigan paid their own way to audition [for "Carmen"]," she notes.
From Bel Cantanti Opera's inception, she wanted ticket prices to be "cheap" and performances "intimate. You hear world-class voices in an intimate setting just 10 feet away [from the audience]. People love being in the middle of the drama."
While the stages are small, Souvorova keeps building on the production. She started with a keyboard, then added a quartet, and now has an orchestra that includes woodwinds.
But the opera company struggles to survive with the help of a grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, contributions and ticket sales. And with each production costing about $30,000 — maybe "a hundred times less than a large opera company's budget" — she is involved in literally every aspect of the production.
In just a five-minute time span, the director works with her performers, confers with an electrician and conducts the orchestra while playing keyboard. This little opera company that could is in very capable hands.
Bel Cantanti Opera will present Georges Bizet's "Carmen" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, 6125 Montrose Road, Rockville. Tickets are $35; $25 for students; $30 for groups of 10 or more. Call 301-266-7546 or visit www.belcantanti.com.
Copyright © Post-Newsweek Media, Inc./Gazette.Net