Carmen comes to cinema event in Crieff

A production of Bizet’s much-loved Carmen on the Lake – performed on the spectacular water stage of Lake Constance in Bregenz, Austria – will be shown on the big screen at Strathearn Arts in Crieff on Friday this week.

The French composer’s opera is most famous for its Spanish melodies, including ‘ The Flower Song’, ‘Habanera’ and ‘The Toreador Song’. A spokesperson for Strathearn Arts, based in Comrie Street, said: “Our Event Cinema offering gives unique access to the highest quality performances from the world’s finest theatres, concert halls, opera houses etc that you could only otherwise see live at the venues themselves.

“The distribution of these screenings is strictly limited, so you won’t find them on your usual TV and internet streaming channels.”

Tickets, costing £15 – or £10 for students and those under 18 – are available from Strathearn Arts and online via the Eventbrite website.

They also include an invitation to a pre-screening talk from Strathearn Music Society’s resident opera aficionado, Jennie Turnbull, at 6.30pm to help put “Carmen in Context”.

Jennie will take the audience for “a peak behind the castanets, flamenco dresses and bullfighters”.

The spokesperson continued: “Carmen was considered shocking and controversial in its day and Bizet was never to know how popular and important it was to become.

“Seen by many as a watershed in the opera tradition, it paved the way for Puccini and other, more modern, composers to focus on everyday people and their loves, lives and losses.

“Whether you are new to opera or an aficionado, the talk will set you up perfectly to watch the Event Cinema Screening of Carmen on the Lake immediately afterwards.”