OPERA

Last night we went to see/hear Carmen, or parts thereof. It was good enough to provide us with a pleasant evening. We sat on the second balcony, so we could see when the conductor lost his place and was paging back and forth in the score while everyone on the stage was very quiet. Then he found his place and carried on, and so did the musicians, all together at the right spot.

The libretto is, of course, in French, and there were Spanish surtitles, an experience analogous to the French films with Spanish subtitles we saw a few months ago (except one had to look up instead of down). Not that the story is unfamiliar to anyone who knows anything about opera and needs translating. The soloists were Mexican nationals, largely trained here, and were very competent. Special mention must be made of the baritone soloist, who not only eschewed the written score (which the others seemed tied to) but also acted out his part (which the others did not do, really) to thunderous applause. The orchestra continues to impress.