One could argue that the opera’s advancement will plateau with productions this traditional (not to mention Los Angeles audiences have seen it one too many times before). But there is a way to produce Opera’s Greatest Hits without repeating the same, overdone productions of yesteryear. I n a city that prides itself on the unconventional and avant-garde performance practices, LA Opera remains keen on sticking with the classics, at least on the mainstage. There is nothing overtly wrong or offensive about Sagi’s production, but that’s the problem. However, that isn’t to say there weren’t issues. The expansive set travels all the way to the back of the stage, and the many tiers and asymmetry add lifelike appeal. Designer Gerardo Trotti’s scenery - set in its traditional Seville setting - is grandly lavish and opulent. In turn, LA Opera is doing the right thing to enhance the company’s reputation - by mixing new and innovative productions with time-honored masterpieces. As is the case with this “ Carmen ,” the company is using the opera’s popularity to its advantage to attract the public into filling seats, and it’s working: its original six-performance run was extended by one show to accommodate astronomical ticket sales. From this standpoint, it could be said that LA Opera is preserving the original art form by elevating convention on it’s most affluent scale. Firstly, this “ Carmen” isn’t tailored for contemporary operaphiles - and that’s okay.
There are two perspectives in which Sagi’s production can be viewed: one is from an innovator’s standpoint, and the other from a traditionalist.
Commissioned originally for Teatro Real in Madrid, the production first came to Los Angeles in 2004, and again in 2008. Moreover, this is the fourth time Emilio Sagi’s “ Carmen” has graced the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Just four years ago, the company opened its 2013-14 season with the exact same production (and, comically, the exact same poster, with Martínez’s face photoshopped over the body of another Carmen). 9, 2017, the LA Opera opened its 2017-18 season with the Bizet masterpiece, with superstar soprano Ana María Martínez in the title role. For an opera that’s so widely known and beloved by the public, it makes sense why the Los Angeles Opera would want to play it safe with its recent production of “ Carmen.
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