A packed crowd watched as sensuous Carmen seduced the naïve José, leadinghim to obsession, jealousy, and her own death in Fresno State’s production of Carmen.
On Friday night the Fresno State Opera Theatre and Symphony Orchestra performed”Carmen” at the Concert Hall to a full audience.
“Carmen,”a French comic opera composed by Georges Bizet in 1875, tellsthe story of a young soldier, named Don José, who falls for the enchantments of a gypsy namedCarmen. Carmen makes him fall in love with her; a love that turns into obsession, jealousy andrage and ends ultimately in Carmen’s demise.
The sold-out concert was filled with drama with a hint of comedy and suspense. The castsung in French while the orchestra played the opera’s well-known music. Subtitles weredisplayed on a screen above the stage as the actors sang.
Fresno State student Lauren Herring came to support her friends who were part of theproduction. This was Herring’s first time attending an opera, and said she was awed by theperformances of both the cast and the orchestra.
“She [Carmen] was really working the stage,” Herring said. “She was believable, and she has an amazing voice. It was neat how the orchestra played in sync.”
When putting together this opera, producer andAssociate Professor of Voice and Opera Dr. Anthony P. Radford said that he hoped to move the audience with the strong theme and the strong performance of his two leading ladies.
“I knew I had the opportunity to produce Carmen when I realized I had two greatsingers,” Radford said.
The role of Carmen was played by two different actresses on separate nights. Junior vocalperformance major Tiffanie Trujillo played the lead on Friday night, and Alejandra Tejeda, seniorvocal performance major, performed on Sunday afternoon.
“To add extra dimension to the character I knew I had to become one with Carmen,”Trujillo said.
When playing the role of Carmen, Trujillo said she wanted to take the audience through ajourney.
“If the artist is doing their job right [they] give perspective to the audience,” Trujillo said.“It gives something for the audience to think about, especially about the human complexity.”
The opera was introduced to the cast and orchestra last summer, and rehearsals began inNovember. A few days before the semester began, the cast members had to participate in whatRadford called an “opera boot camp.”
Susan Trujillo was there Friday night to support her daughter. She said that her daughterdedicated all of her time practicing hard for this night.
“It was a lot of hours,” Trujillo said.
The orchestra was conducted by Thomas Loewenheim, professor of cello, and theatre arts professor Ruth Griffin, who directed and choreographed the opera.