Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Tenor Luc Robert brings fire to ‘Carmen’
ROBYN COHEN
FANS were disappointed when Cape Town Opera’s Magic Flute at the Baxter was cancelled due to student protests.
So there is much excitement for Bizet’s Carmen, staged at Artscape from Thursday (for five performances only).
This is a revival of Cape Town Opera’s sold- out 2011 production, directed by Michael Williams. Most of the members of the previous cast are reprising their roles. Bulgarian mezzo-soprano Violina Anguelov is again playing Carmen – the sexy factory worker who seduces and chucks aside men at whim.
A key difference to this staging is the introduction of two exciting new male voices: tenor Luc Robert (Don José) and baritone William Berger (Escamillo the bullfighter – Carmen’s lover). This is the Cape Town Opera debut for Robert, a Canadian.
Don José is his signature role. For the 2016/17 season, he is playing Don José at Frankfurt Opera, Estonian National Opera and the Opéra de Nice in France.
His life sounds like an opera. He was a firefighter for 10 years, before studying professionally in Montréal from the age of 30.
South African-born Berger has made two solo albums and has received rave notices for his work .
Carmen is on Thursday, next Saturday, and October 25, 27 and 29. Tickets are R100-R400 at Computicket.