Cape Town Opera to Revive 2011 Production of CARMEN at Artscape Opera House

Full of energy and fiery Spanish sensuality, Georges Bizet's CARMEN, one of the world's most popular operas, will return to the Artscape Opera House in a revival of Cape Town Opera's 2011 production.

CARMEN is the passionate tale of a sexy factory worker who seduces and tosses aside men at whim, only to be murdered by a cast-off lover. With a large chorus, delicious arias and breath-taking duets, CARMEN contains some of opera's most memorable and catchy music: the "Habanera", the "Seguidilla" and the "Toreador Song."

Set in Seville during the 1820s, Michael Mitchell's design for CARMEN aspires to a richness in authentic period detail, with intricately stitched traditional costumes. The production is directed by Michael Williams, the managing director of Cape Town Opera, who comments:

CARMEN is still relevant today because the battle of the sexes still persists. Men remain fascinated with beautiful women and women remain fascinated by men with a dangerous streak.

South African-based mezzo-soprano Violina Anguelov once again takes the lead role of Carmen. The Bulgarian-born Anguelov seems born for this role and, in 2011, her performance was celebrated by both critics and the public alike.

Canadian tenor, Luc Robert, makes his Cape Town Opera debut in the role of Don José. A former firefighter, Robert is much in demand in opera houses in Europe and America. In 2015, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Giuseppe Verdi's ERNANI. Don José is one of Robert's signature roles and, in the 2016/17 season, he is engaged to sing the role at Frankfurt Opera, the Estonian National Opera, the Opéra de Nice in France and, of course, Cape Town Opera.

South African-born William Berger takes the role of Carmen's lover. Berger is sure to dazzle as the famous and flamboyant bullfighter, having performed at renowned opera houses and festivals, including the English National Opera, the Liceu in Barcelona, Opera Vlaanderen, Opéra de Toulon, and the Lucerne, Aix-en-Provence and Edinburgh International Festivals.

Cape Town Opera Studio singer Noluvuyiso Mpofu plays the role of Micaëla. 2016 has been a terrific year for Mpofu who recently took second prize in the prestigious 35th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, held at Artscape in July. Mpofu also won the hearts of the engaged and enthusiastic audience, who awarded her the Audience Prize.

A troupe of ten flamenco dancers will execute choreography created by the late Caroline Holden in the production. With a cast of 90, a choral opera of the scale of CARMEN is a massive undertaking and was made possible due to the generous support of NASPERS.

CARMEN runs on selected dates from 20 - 29 October. Tickets, costing R400, are available through Computicket.