A great evening at the opera last night! The last night of the season, Carmen was all flash and dazzle, full of emotions, an enormously crowded stage – an overload sensory experience.
I had seen it before, but in a much more traditional / more austere production. With the usual Carmen – proud on the one hand, needy on the other. This Carmen could have cared less, once she was done with a man. More spunk, more courage – and having a lot of fun flouncing on the stage. A 21st century Carmen, no longer co-dependent.
I still had my usual argument with her. This whole sacrifice routine, this belief that her karma could not be changed, that once she had a vision of her death, once she saw all that in the cards, that she was destined to live it out. Nothing is farther from the truth.
A reading is a statement of what’s going to happen if we keep going the way we’re going. We can always step off the wheel and change everything. I was paying closing attention last night – there were at least 8 times when she could have made a different move and changed the entire direction of her life.
And I’m faulting her friends, too. They should have ignored her, and simply stayed on the plaza when Jose approached. Plus her wonderful matador should have assigned some of his bullfighting friends to hang around with her. After all, Jose had been repeatedly clear about the fact that he was really stuck in jealousy, definitely an old paradigm emotion.
Nonetheless – another incredible night at the opera. We are blessed to have such a great company. The singers – magnifique (it was sung in French!). The costumes, the acting, the choreography, the sets, the extras, the kids. I could go on. It was a sparkling end to a fabulous season!