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| The cast of Carmen |
Featuring:
Ana
Feleo, soprano
Randy
Gilongo, tenor
Noel
Azcona, baritone
Stephanie
Aguilar, soprano
UST
Symphony Orchestra
William
Barkyhmer, conductor
The
FEU Auditorium played host to two Carmens in their Cultural Calendar for the
school year 2013-2014 bearing the theme of Debuts and Farewells. The first
Carmen to take to the stage was prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, who
danced the title role for the last time when her company Ballet Manila presented
the ballet Carmen. Less than a couple of months later, Ana Feleo reprised the
role of Carmen in the repeat run of the opera by the Lyric Opera of the Philippines .
The Lyric
Opera of the Philippines
first staged Carmen back in 2012 at the St. Cecilia’s Hall at St. Scholastica’s College, Manila . In this repeat
run, Ana Feleo was joined by a mix of returning and new cast members. Reprising
their roles once again were Randy Gilongo as Don Jose, and Noel Azcona as
Escamillo. But this was the first time that Feleo and Gilongo were paired
together for the previous run had them playing alongside different partners.
Laurice Guillen once again was at the helm as the stage director. New to the
cast was Stephanie Aguilar as Micaela, the UST Symphony Orchestra and conductor
William Barkhymer who made his Philippine debut with this production. Completing
the main cast were Gereberne Lozada (Mercedes), Patrice Pacis (Frasquita), Pepe Herrera (Dancairo), Nomher Nival (Remendado), Jun Jaranilla (Zuniga) and Greg
de Leon (Morales).
This
production of Carmen was stripped to the core by having almost a bare stage
having only minimal props. This somewhat enabled the audience to focus solely
on the performers and also to the music composed by Georges Bizet. For those
who are familiar with the music of the opera, they would’ve noticed that the Avec la garde montante that was supposed
to be sung by a children’s chorus during the changing of the guards in Act I was
omitted in this production. This production may not have been as grand as other
operas out there but one thing that they managed to have was the FEU Auditorium’s
much improved acoustics. The performers were able to project their voices
without the aid of microphones so they were able to focus more on acting and their characters instead of exerting too much effort in order to be heard.
I
can only imagine how much of a challenge this Carmen was for conductor William
Barkhymer. For one, the orchestra was placed at the back of the stage and not
at the pit which is the norm for opera. It probably wasn’t very easy for him to
conduct while not facing the singers who were performing on stage right behind
his back. This production also didn’t have the opportunity to have a dress
rehearsal since the super typhoon Yolanda led to the cancellation of the all
important final rehearsals before the curtain rose.
Remarkably,
the UST Symphony Orchestra was in tiptop shape, sounding a lot better compared
to performances I’ve seen and heard in recent years. Members of the orchestra
sacrificed their semester break in order to rehearse for up to five hours a day
in preparation for this opera.
But
probably the most pleasant surprise of all was the scene stealing presence of
popular actress Marian Rivera who came to support her dear friend Ana Feleo. I
never expected Marian to be a fan of the opera but she clearly enjoyed watching
the show. She was particularly very impressed by Aguilar’s take on Micaela’s showstopping aria Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante during Act III. And in the end, she led in cheering the whole cast and production team
during the curtain call.
Carmen
was presented by the Lyric Opera of the Philippines
and the Far Eastern University ’s President’s Committee on Culture.
