Carmen

At first I was alarmed by the breakneck tempos; this could possibly be the fastest Carmen on disc. But as I listened I realized that the pace doesn't interfere with the drama, it is a part of the concept of this production. The entire team dispatches this opera like a flower tossed over the shoulder, devil-may-care. Regina Resnik is a faultless Carmencita; she hits all of the acting beats of the role. In Act One she plays the seductress with an alluring smile in her voice. In Act Two she rages fiery indignity at her lover's hesitance then quietly reconsiders when he reveals his true devotion. Acts Three and Four - her annoyance with, and defiance of an ex-lover who won't let go. Mario del Monaco has a clear, ringing tone that I find refreshing. His is not the most nuanced Don Jose, but at the end of Act Three, when he is torn between clinging to Carmen and returning to his dying mother, we hear him become the ardent, obsessed stalker of the final act. Tom Krause is a fun Escamillo. You can almost hear this bullfighter smoothing his eyebrow in the presence of adoring fans. Joan Sutherland as Micaela... this is faint praise, but she doesn't get in the way. Instead of La Stupenda we get another member of the ensemble propelling the forward motion of the drama. No star turn at all. Thomas Schippers leads the orchestra and chorus through a brisk but cleanly detailed performance. L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is immediate without being overbearing, thanks to John Culshaw's production talent. The Choeur du Grand Theatre de Geneve makes a lively troupe of soldiers, gypsies and smugglers, making every word intelligible. I hold back a star for some awkward choices in stage direction. The text indicates that Act Two opens with a gypsy song accompanied by dancing, so we are treated to some increasingly manic flamenco steps pounded out on the sound stage. The overdubbing of canned crowd noise in the tavern and outside the corrida adds more distraction than atmosphere. You get a thin CD booklet with an act-by-act synopsis but there's no libretto with this release. If you can afford two Carmens, the Chandos Opera In English set provides an idiomatic translation that keeps to the rhythm of the original French. To sum it up, this is a highly enjoyable performance with an emphasis on character and action. The budget price of this Double Decker set makes it the best-valued Carmen out there. Pure smuggler's gold.

Let's start with the good news. Thomas Schippers does a fine job of conducting the orchestra. Things are taken a bit on the fast side, but this is not a deal breaker by any means. Tom Krause is a very good Escamillo with a dark bass-baritone voice and excellent French. Joan Sutherland is the best Micaela I have ever heard. She is in ravishing voice and sings with a good deal of expression. The overall sound of this recording is astonishingly good. Now for the bad news. Mario del Monaco, at this time of his life, was a poor choice for Don Jose. His voice has aged markedly since his recordings made in the 1950's and it completely lacks sensual beauty. He never was an expressive singer, and he certainly doesn't improve his reputation here. His Don Jose alone would be enough reason not to purchase this recording. The other negative, though not as bad as Del Monaco, is about Regina Resnik as our Carmen. Even though she was not yet 41 at the time of this recording, her voice has quite a bit of wear on it, and sounds too matronly to play the part of Carmen. She would have been an excellent choice for Carmen's mother, had there been a part for that. This voice would also be suitable for a Lady Macbeth, but not for Carmen unless you picture Carmen as a "cougar". There is no libretto. As for alternatives, my first recommendation is the Carmen with Leontyne Price and Franco Corelli. My second choice is the recording featuring Grace Bumbry and Jon Vickers.

Regina Resnik is a wonderful, sexy Carmen, but I can't take del Monaco and the way he shouts through every role. There's also some stupid effects, like the flamenco shoe tapping during Les tringles des sistres tintaient. It's enough to drive you crazy, so I agree with many comments in the negative reviews.However, even with all it's faults, this is a must have because of Joan Sutherland as Micaela. Her voice is breathtakingly beautiful in this role. "La Stupenda" brings to Micaela what Montserrat Cabelle brings to Liu in the Mehta Turandot. For the rest of my life, I will judge all other singers by their exquisite performances in these recordings. Singing does not get better than this.

well, I have so many Carmen recordings, that certainly, this is not the kind you want, to just have one Carmen recording.... not, bad, just curious about Sutherlan's micaela... I prefer Freni 63 Karajan from all the ones I have. & del Monaco Don Jose, is ok,, I have Gedda in 2 recordings, Corelli, Vickers, Domingo twice, Carreras.. lots of competence...

This album is, to my ears, the best of the Carmens. Bernstein slows down the tempo, which is normally too fast, and as a result, this becomes grand opera. It is one gorgeous aria after another. If you are looking for a fabulous Carmen, Marilyn Horne is just exquisite. James McCracken a fine Don Jose. Really, you can't do better. You won't regret purchasing it.

Although this performance took place 40 years ago, the sound quality is outstanding. Leonard Bernstein conducted this performance with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. I have always enjoyed the manner in which Bernstein interprets music. He brings music to life. Music is basically an emotional experience. Marilyn Horne was one of our finest opera sopranos. She performs the role of Carmen that clearly defines the character of Carmen. This recording is enjoyable, and worth listening to

Excelente compra

Miss Joan Sutherland & Mr. Del Monaco are two of my favorite singers and they are excellent on this Carmen recording. All of the singers are very talented and I really enjoyed listening to them sing. I highly recommend this CD set!

Beware Amazon star ratings. Of the 11 reviews appearing today I can identify only 3 which refer to this recording.Thanks to Ralph Moore for steering me towards this recording with a favourable comment on Mario del Monaco.I have been enthralled by Jakub Hrusa's Carmen at Glyndebourne. Sadly it is hard to replicate the sheer impact of a live performance. But with Glyndebourne fresh in my memory from yesterday this Decca effort does it. Decca produced some amazing recordings of the Suisse Romande orchestra and this is one of them.The cast sounds an unlikely bunch. Resnik great in gory Richard Strauss roles. Del Monaco once provoked the wonderful quip 'can belto'. Sutherland trilling wordlessly in Bellini. Only Krauss seems a likely candidate for his role.But they are all superb. Resnik a former soprano so able to float some effortless top notes and with a staggering vocal range gets right to the heart of her role. Mario and Joan also ping their top notes. Del Monaco sounds not unlike Vickers. Sutherland's French good enough for me and you know she is going to hit every note bang in the middle as does del Monaco when he is trying to. Krauss does not disappoint. Schippers gets nearly all the tempi exactly right. Remarkably close to Hrusa's reading.I have commented elsewhere it is the sheer visceral excitement of the Reiner version which makes it my first choice. Well this one runs Reiner damn close.The chorus deserves a mention. Far too often it is too distant on record. Here as on the Reiner version it is right in your face and very exciting.Those Guiraud recitatives are blended in as well as it is reasonable to expect.Fortunately you do not need to take a chance on buying second hand as new copies are really inexpensive and that is what I bought and got it next day.

An interesting recording. Resnick is a really interesting Carmen - totally underrated. Sutherland does well with Michaela and Krause is a firm if rough toreador. Schippers' conducting is quite superb - alive and theatrical. The big snag is the Jose of Del Monaco. He approaches the role with all the subtlety of a panel beater, singing with a loud forte and with most unpleasing snarl in his voice. His French is atrocious. A pity as this would be a really good version if they don't only taking John Culshaw's suggestion of di Stefano as Jose. As it was the management awarded it to the Italian sledgehammer and wrecked this recording

I only bought this for Dame Joan as Micaela. Having listened to it just the once, I really can't get on with Regina Resnik as Carmen or Mario del Monaco as Don Jose who don't do a bad job, it just isn't to my liking or taste. Many will hate me for saying this but it's how I see things.

great

A thoroughly enjoyable version. I have a few and this is my favourite