Opera dans le Parc

Carmen – Théâtre Lyrique

Opera has the power to move, to stir up emotions. With Opera dans le Parc, it becomes an experience!

For the fifth year in a row, some of Montreal’s parks will be the scene of Production Alma Viva’s yearly production of Opéra dans le Parc. Carmen – théâtre lyrique, an adaptation of the opera by Georges Bizet and the short story by Prosper Mérimée, interpreted by five singers accompanied on the piano, will be sung in French with spoken text in French and English:

— Wednesday, the 22th August 2018 at 6:30 pm, Place du 375e in Girouard Park in NDG

— Saturday, the 25th August 2018 at 6:30 pm at La Placette in Côte-Des-Neiges

— Wednesday, the 29th August 2018 at 6:30 pm, in Trenholme Park in NDG

Carmen

Bizet’s timeless melodies sustain the dramatic development of the fated love relation between Don José and Carmen, tainted by jealousy and treason.
Don José, a brigadier stationed in the Spanish town of Seville, falls under the spell of a local working girl, the gypsy Carmen. Under her spell, he not only abandons his love for his fiancee Micaëla, but also his honour as a soldier in order to follow her and live the life of a smuggler. Soon tired of his love, Carmen succumbs to the charms of bull fighter Escamillo. The two ill fated lovers meet for a reckoning outside of the arena where passion sets the stage for their final encounter.

The opera’s premiere on the 3rd March 1875 at Opéra Comique in Paris was met with a disastrous reception by the public. Ultimately though, Bizet’s music and the passionate dramatic development of the plot made Carmen one of the best loved operas of all times.

Free Admission

Cast:
Carmen — Zita Bombardier
Don José — Rodrigo Ocampo
Frasquita / Micaëla: Marie-Chantal Lemieux
Mercedes: Nadia Neiazy
Escamillo: Vincent Ranallo
Danse / choreography: Kristen Céré

Les Productions Alma Viva
Founded in 2009, the not-for-profit organization Alma Viva Productions pursues its mandate to democratize opera by sharing and making it available to a larger public. Operas of the repertoire are rendered accessible by crafty adaptations and presentations in alternative contexts. Taking the experience of opera out of the traditional opera house and transplanting it into the day-to-day surroundings and public spaces grants a new understanding and appreciation of an art form that is oftentimes steeped in aristocratic tradition. Producing Opéra dans le Parc is a natural outcome of this mandate. The summer of 2014 saw the first staging of a full opera in a public park in Montreal, followed by consecutive productions in the following years. All were very well received by the audience.

For more information visit: www.operadansleparc.com