Carmen 1977Edinburgh Festival Opera
Read more about the opera Carmen
This production was something of a landmark in the history of the Festival. Peter Diamand was reaching the end of his run as Festival Director, and had long wished to stage Carmen with Berganza in the lead. She had resisted the idea, having her own views on how the work should be played. Long term planning resulted in a superbly successful, unusually restrained staging, specially tailored to the intimate environment of the King's Theatre.
Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Opera Chorus, and Plácido Domingo, in his only Scottish operatic appearances, came together in a beautifully designed and directed production. Mirella Freni appeared for the opening night, also giving her only Festival operatic performance.
Top tickets were priced at £25 each, which caused a bit of a fuss at the time, though there was no difficulty in selling them.
Performance Cast
- Moralès a corporal of dragoons
- Micaëla a peasant girl
-
Mirella Freni (Aug 22)
Leona Mitchell (Exc Aug 22)
- Don José a corporal of dragoons
- Zuniga a lieutenant of dragoons
- Carmen a gypsy
- Frasquita a gypsy, Carmen’s friend
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Nan Christie (Aug 22)
Yvonne Kenny (Sep 3)
- Mercédès a gypsy, Carmen’s friend
- Lillas Pastia an innkeeper
- Escamillo a toreador
- Dancaïre a smuggler
- Remendado a smuggler
- Guide
- Flamenco dancer
- Merchant
- Bohemian