Classic Carmen taking the stage at Istanbul international opera festival

By Iclal Turan

ISTANBUL (AA) - The 13th International Istanbul Opera Festival on Wednesday will stage French composer Bizet’s classic opera, Carmen.

With a libretto written by Ludovic Halevy and Henri Meilhac, the famed opera will be put on stage in a production helmed by Italian director Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini, with choreography by State Opera and Ballet chief choreographer Aysem Sunal Savaskurt, under the baton of conductor Zdravko Lazarov.

The opera will be performed at the Open Air Stage of the Halic Congress Center, with tickets available at biletinial.com.

When Carmen was first staged in Paris in 1875, it was derided by many critics. It was after Bizet's death that interest in the Carmen picked up, eventually making it one of the world’s most-staged operas.

The opera tells the love story of soldier Don Jose and a gypsy named Carmen.

Famous Romanian mezzo-soprano Ramona Zaharia will play the role of Carmen while Don Jose will be played by Efe Kislali.

The 13th International Istanbul Opera Festival started on July 16 with a 7 Tenors concert and continued with Italian opera the Tosca on July 20, and the opera Murat IV on July 23.

Keeping with tradition, the festival will close with a performance of Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio on July 30 at the Ataturk Culture Center. The opera, under director Caner Akın with choreography by Tan Sagturk, will be performed in its classical form but with some references to the recent pandemic.