Carmen’s striking verismo; Ana Feleo: Dominant heroine

Going briefly through the history of opera, the reader discovers that Italian composers, toward the end of the 20th century, adapted verismo, drawing vividly and dramatically from real life. Although French, Bizet made Carmen throb with verismo, its startling episodes conveying passionate love, intense jealousy, towering rage, fierce pride and patient resignation.

With the same cast and director from last year’s production at St. Cecilia’s Hall of SSC, the re-staging of Carmen at FEU had more verismo, and had basic innovations altering the quality of presentation. To begin with, the orchestra played onstage throughout the opera, with locations merely indicated by titles flashed on the screen. The audience saw no public square, no tavern, no mountain pass, no smugglers’ hideout, with stage hands inconspicuously adding or taking away tables and chairs.

The absence of descriptive set designs somewhat diminished ambiance or atmosphere, as did a wide piece of white cloth hanging from the upper rear end of the stage. But as the viewers became increasingly absorbed in the stirring drama, the foregoing circumstances, soon totally ignored, significantly did not detract from the over-all effect of the performance.

Traditionally, Carmen is portrayed by a mezzo-soprano possessing a heavy vocal texture. However, soprano Ana Guillen Feleo sang and acted the title role to the hilt, achieving a tour de force and evoking verismo to the highest degree. She was totally seductive, flirting with every man in sight, flaunting her charms before Don Jose and Escamillo. She used every moment to arrest attention onstage, singing or dancing on top of tables, or just sitting still while eyeing the men around her.

The conflict between the Gypsy harlot Carmen and the brigadier Don Jose, is caused by the drastic difference between a free soul dominated by unpredictable whims, and a military man steeped in age-old dictums and principles.

Tenor Randy Gilongo, somewhat lacking in height for the tall Feleo, fared better as actor than as singer. He was thoroughly convincing in his emotive expression of undying love for Carmen, sacrificing life, honor, liberty for her. Driven to desperation by her stolid indifference, he plunges a knife into her in the awesomely terrifying final scene.

Baritone Noel Azcona, strutting about arrogantly and menacingly as the bullflighter Escamillo, wins the heart of Carmen while fanning the jealousy of Don Jose. His vibrant expression, his impressive vocal power which was fully controlled and sustained, made the Toreador Song one of the evening’s compelling highlights.

Stephanie Aguilar, the gentle and patient Micaela, sang her arias poignantly, her dulcet voice and clear, eloquent articulation movingly invoking pity for her as Don Jose’s rejected sweetheart. Jun Jaranilla, dignified in bearing as Capt. Zuniga, was persuasively impetuous and impulsive when provoked, his voice ringingly in defiance.

Carmen’s Gypsy friends, Patricia Pacis (Frasquita) and Gereberne Lozada (Mercedes) charmed the audience, their antics amusingly mischievous. Likewise enhancing the opera were Greg de Leon (Morales), Nomher Nival (Remendado) and Pepe Herrera (Dancairo), their appearances brief but outstanding.

Indeed, despite space limitations, all cast members did their spirited utmost to enliven the collective endeavor, from the principals to the soldiers, hawkers and coquettish cigarette girls.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra, consisting of talented young professionals and students playing under American conductor William Barkhymer, who expressly flew from Germany, produced varied tonal colors and riveting, pulsating, propulsive rhythms reflecting the singers' incessantly changing moods and emotions through tumult or triumph.

Laurice Guillen’s keenly perceptive direction led to the closest inter-action among the characters, leading them to delineate verismo tremendously. Indeed, they were so bitterly inspired that the audience lustily cheered every act, and as the show ended, the auditorium reverberated with thunderous and prolonged applause.

Welcome remarks were delivered by Martin Lopez, executive director of FEU’s Committee on Culture headed by President Lourdes R. Montinola, and by John Glenn Gaerlan, Lyric Opera Company president. His colleague, fellow tenor Sherwin Sozon, was part of the production staff.